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Rs. 1.2b. boost for Colombo Port

The shallow basin of the Colombo Port does not permit entering Supper Post Panamax ships, the massive main liners which are now bypassing Colombo Port. The Rs.1.2 billion project of dredging the Port is to commence next week, by a Japanese joint venture Penta Ocean Waka-Chiku Company, SLPA sources told the Daily News yesterday.

This project will upgrade the Colombo Port as a main hub port in Asia. Under this project the basin will be deepened from 14 meters to 15 meters and main channel from 15 meters to 16 meters.

Total ship arrivals also increased to 3850 in 2001 from 3251 in 1994. With the improvement of ports in the country during the last seven years, handling of total TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Container Units) incresed to 973,000 in 1994 from 1,750,000 in 2001. Handling of cargo tonnage also increased to 26,372,000 in 2001 from 16,143,000 in 1994.

the number of container ships arriving at the Colombo Port increased by 3 percent last year.

In addition, a feasibility study for a new South Harbour Development in Colombo commenced in February 2000. The consultant Maunsell McIntyre Pvt. Ltd of Australia was contracted for this study and the draft final report was submitted in November 2000.

The engineering and design study will commence shortly. A timetable for implementation with construction starting in 2003 has been formulated. "Invitation of expression of Interest" was already advertised for Pre- Qualification for consultants.

Already, 28 tender applications had been received from local and international bidders for conducting a feasibility study on the proposed Hambantota Harbour. "Eight bids have been short listed and Port officials are evaluating five of them. A decision is expected within the next two weeks." official sources said.

The proposed project has 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.

The main objective of developing the Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee and Kankasanthurai was to make Sri Lanka a major hub port in Asia, he said.

the development of ports in the country is to attract more transhipment cargo to Sri Lanka by offering an efficient service to shipping lines.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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