Bunkering, tank farm at Hambantota Port gets approval
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Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Saliya Wickramasuriya
exchanging the project proposal with China Huanqiu officials. |
The unsolicited project proposal for construction of the bunkering
facility and the tank farm at the Hambantota Harbour forwarded by the
China Huanqiu Contracting Engineering Corporation has been given
approval after thorough evaluation by the Project Committee and the
Cabinet Appointed Negotiations Committee. Cabinet approval was granted
for this project.
According to the agreement, the total value of the project would be
US$76.5 million and the project is scheduled to be completed within a
time period of two years.
Under this project a set of fuel tanks; bunking facilities, aviation
fuel storage facilities and LP gas storage facilities will be
constructed.
According to the terms of reference, the above facilities will be
constructed enabling to operate them independently with separate loading
arms and pipe line system which connects the oil and gas jetty.
Construction of the jetties in this regard has already been commenced
under works of the Hambantota Port Project.
It is also proposed to obtain loan facilities for this construction
works from the Exim Bank in China and construction works are scheduled
to be completed by the year 2010.
Hambantota Port Development Project consists of four stages. The
whole project is expected to be completed within 15 years. Initially
Hambantota Port is planned as a Service and Industrial Port.
Subsequently, it could be developed as a Transhipment Port in the next
two stages to handle 20 million containers per year.
Under the first phase of the project, an industrial port with a
1,000m jetty and an oil refinery estimated to cost US$1 billion will be
constructed at Hambantota. The proposed port will stimulate development
of harbour-related industries such as ship repairs, ship building,
bunkering, break bulk, power generation and a free trade zone.
Senior official of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said the
construction of the new port when completed will directly provide 6000
new jobs and 50,000 to 100,000 jobs as indirect employment. A large
number of these openings were for skilled workers who were lacking in
this area.
Therefore, steps were being taken to train people in the required
skills at special vocational training centres, so that the skilled
workforce will be available when the port begins functioning.
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