Plea to shift LCL cargo from Colombo Port

Hiran H. Senewiratne

Colombo: The former head of the Association of Clearing and Forwarding Agents in Sri Lanka M.S.M Niyaz urged authorities to consider a complete shift of Less than Container Load (LCL) cargo delivery points away from the Colombo Port to the SLPA owned Peliyagoda Container Freight Station.

Addressing a recent forum in Colombo he made this proposal as a measure to facilitate faster cargo delivery and to support important Port security measures by minimising various people and trucks entering the Port.

“The off Port that was build near the Colombo Port in 2000 for the facilitation of import and export cargo at Peliyagoda has more capacity available for further Container loads transfer, for de-stuffing and for delivery at this Off Port Centre according to export and import sources.

This was purposely built to benefit all the Ports in the country and also to support Importers and related stakeholders,” Niyaz said.

He said Sri Lanka Ports Authority, (SLPA) did not extend warehouse or storing capacities at this off Port center.

“The entry and exit points to the Port of Colombo are congested and security pressure compounds a faster transacting for a pick up of import shipments. SLPA set up warehouses outside the Port of Colombo at Peliyagoda in January 2000 to cater to LCL shipments as a container de-stuffing and delivery center.

This was built to benefit the stakeholders of international trade of Sri Lanka including the Port Operators, Warehouse Administrators, Importers, Investors, The Custom House Agents, Customs, Truckers and the related Supply Chain Managers, so that they need not come to various divergent transaction points and enter the Port of Colombo to pick up LCL import shipments,” Niyaz said.

He said that due to multitude of reasons, the stakeholders of international trade, including importers, exporters, transporters, cargo clearing & forwarding community personnel’s continue to find it extremely difficult to enter and exit port of Colombo, to transact for the other balance portion of LCL cargo de-stuffed at Warehouse delivery points located within Port thus severely affecting, a timely predictable cargo clearance process.

“In this respect, we strongly urge that the CFS, Peliyagoda, capacities be urgently expanded and upgraded to achieve a total LCL de-stuffing and delivery center there, thus eliminating of entry to Port of Colombo of trucks and personnel for picking up import cargoes on less (LCL) consignments totally, thereby also ease security concerns by working towards a complete shift of LCL cargo delivery points from within to outside port as an urgent measure to facilitate trade and Port security,” Niyas said.