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by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

The gazette notification in respect of the proposed Hambantota Port was issued on Tuesday. It is a basic legal requirement which has to be fulfilled when a project of this nature is decided on", a Senior official of the Ports and Shipping Ministry told the Daily News.

"Minister Rajapakse has directed Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) officials not to delay work on this harbour for any reason", official said.

Already, 28 tender applications had already been received from local and international bidders for conducting a feasibility study on the proposed harbour." Eight bids have been shortlisted and Port officials are evaluating five of them. A decision is expected within the next two weeks." he added.

The proposed project has a great potential for the future and it is likely to be the deepest Port in the world with a depth of 25 meters. At present, Rotterdam is the world's deepest port with a depth of 23 meters while Singapore which is the deepest port in Asia has a depth of only 15.3 meters.

Meanwhile, the Ministry also plans to set up a maritime training centre and a project office in the area to work out ground arrangements for the project." These two centres will be opened next week and we have already rented buildings for this purpose." the official said.

The training centre is expected to provide all training facilities in the maritime sector for Sri Lankans so that they can even seek foreign employment.

The project office will provide accommodation for foreign experts expected in Sri Lanka for completing the feasibility report.

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