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The world's largest container carrier Maersk Sealand with a container fleet of 312 vessels and an annual shipboard capacity of 773,931 TEUs has decided to use the Jaya Container Terminal for two years. The company on Monday signed a Terminal Service Agreement (TSA) with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

Chairman SLPA Parakrama Dissanayake described Maersk Sealand's agreement as historic. "It is indeed an achievement and the Colombo Port will gain more recognition following this decision," he said. According to the new agreement, all current and future services operated by Maersk Sealand through the Port of Colombo will be handled at the SLPA Container Terminals.

Under the TSA, Maersk Sealand has committed an annual volume of 125,000 transhipment containers and 40,000 domestic containers. The revenue that the SLPA would derive from a domestic container is approximately four times higher than handling a transhipment container, Dissanayake said.

Managing Director of Maersk Sealand said that his company was very impressed with the present developments in the SLPA and the JCT under the leadership of its chairman over the last 12 months and had decided to enter into this agreement.

Ports Development, Shipping, Eastern Development and Muslim Religious Affairs Minister Rauff Hakeem has approved the agreement which was signed at the SLPA premises on Monday.

The Port of Colombo has now developed into one of the best ports in Asia handling both conventional cargo and containers. The Port of Colombo has been acknowledged as one of the most economical ports in the region.

With a highly skilled and trained staff, noted for their dedication to provide a fast turnaround time, Colombo port has always been a major attraction for the world's shipping lines. Container Freight Station activities and clearance of cargo are done at warehouses outside the port premises thus ensuring more efficient service for multi-country consolidation and entrepot operations.

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