Port of Colombo handled its 6 millionth TEU on December 22. A special function was held at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to celebrate the handling of the 6 million TEU mark. Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe attended as the Chief Guest of the event.
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister stated that it was commendable to witness that the Port of Colombo has achieved great feats through public private collaboration. Deviating from the traditional competition, Sri Lanka Ports Authority controlled Jaya Container Terminal, privately owned SAGT and CICT together have proved to be a success story. "We can continue to make the Port of Colombo the hub port in the region,” the Minister said.
He also thanked all officials, staff and employees of SLPA, SAGT, CICT, shipping agents, freight forwarding agencies and stakeholders who always contributed in numerous ways to elevate the position of the Port of Colombo to higher standards among the container ports of the world.
Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Chairman of SLPA, speaking at the occasion, stated that it was a historic milestone to Sri Lanka Ports Authority as it was the collective effort of SLPA with the JCT, SAGT and the CICT handling 6 million containers for a year in the Port of Colombo.
“We have to be mindful of the marketing challenges we are expected to face. The commencement of operations of the East Terminal of the Colombo South Harbour in near future will see further increased efficiency in the Port of Colombo to attract more ships at its deep draft berths,” Dr. Dissanayake added.
The Port of Colombo marked the operation of its first TEU in 1973. Accordingly, the construction of Jaya Container Terminal’s stage I was completed in 1985. The completion of the stage II of the JCT in 1987, stages III and IV in 1995 and 1996 respectively marked the increase of operation volumes of the Port of Colombo. Commencement of the South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) at the Port of Colombo took place in 1999. In 2002, with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, SLPA initiated the construction of the Colombo Port Expansion Project (CPEP) which is known as the Colombo South Harbour today.
The new harbour was constructed with plans to the ever-increasing ultra large container vessels. Its first terminal, known as the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), was completed with the investment of over US$ 500 million as a PPP loan and on BOT model. The CICT of Colombo South Harbour came into operation in 2013.
With the rapid development of port infrastructure including the construction of new terminals and the public private partnership in operations at the Port of Colombo, the handling capacity of the Port dramatically increased.
The Port of Colombo marked the achievement of handling 1 million TEUs in 1995. Although it took almost nine years to reach the mark of 2 million TEUs collaboratively with the SAGT in 2004, the Port handled 3 million TEUs in 2006, 4 million TEUs in 2010 and 5 million TEUs collaboratively with the CICT in 2015.
Together with the latest developments in the Sri Lankan port sector, the 06 millionth TEUs mark this year is recorded through aggressive marketing strategies implemented in collaboration with the SAGT, CICT and the public sector controlled JCT to offer a world class service with the maximum customer satisfaction and the minimum vessel turnaround time.
SLPA being the landlord, regulator and the port operator, together with other terminals, has been able to attract more main lines and feeder services to the Port of Colombo in 2017.
With the latest initiatives implemented by the SLPA, under the guidance of Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe and under the management led by SLPA Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, all sectors of port operation show a rapid growth compared to similar periods during the past.
A number of processes are currently being implemented in all commercial ports around the country under the purview of SLPA to realize the vision of the government to develop Sri Lanka as the premier maritime hub of the region.
Higher officials of SLPA including the Vice Chairman P.G. Dasanayake, Managing Director H.D.A.S. Premachandra, officials of the SAGT and CICT, officials of shipping lines and agents, officials of freight forwarding agencies and a number of staff members and employees of SLPA and other stakeholding institutions attended the event.
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