H’tota port year ahead
Rasika SOMARATHNA and Raja WAIDYASEKERA in
Hambantota
The initial phase of the Hambantota port project which originally had
an implementing schedule of 39 months would now be completed in 27
months due to enhanced planning by officials, Sri Lanka Ports Authority
Chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrema said yesterday.
He said the project has attracted both local and foreign investors
with 24 of them seeking permission to invest more than US $ 2 billion in
various aligned investment friendly projects cement, fertilizer and
vehicle assembling factories have been planned with many others in the
pipeline, he added.
Hambantota
Port Development Project
* Commencement: January 2008
* Completion: April 2011
* Construction cost: US $
360 m
* Contractor: M/s China
Harbour Engineering Co and Sino-Hydro Corporation Joint
Venture
* Consultant: Sri Lanka
Ports Authority |
The harbour would also be used as an industrial iron dump with the
intention of transporting material to regional countries. Addressing
journalists near the harbour during a sight-seeing visit, Wickrema said
the project would generate more than 6,000 direct employment
opportunities and more than 100,000 indirect opportunities.
He added that the harbour had the capacity to accommodate even the
biggest of cargo ships in the world with a maximum depth capacity
exceeding 15.5 metres.
Hambantota Port Development Project that was commenced in January
2008 is scheduled to be completed in April 2011. The project has been
implemented with a total construction cost of US $ 360 m of which 85
percent will be granted by the Ex-Im Bank of China. The balance will be
invested by the SLPA. The contractor is China Harbour Engineering Co and
Sino-Hydro Corporation Joint Venture.
Being a mega development project implemented in Sri Lanka, Hambantota
Port Development Project is fully supervised and inspected by the
Engineers of SLPA.
Hambantota Port Development Project will be constructed especially
enabling to handle 100,000 DWT vessels. It will have an approach channel
of 210 metres wide and 17 metres deep. The turning circle at the port
will be of a diameter of 610 metres at a depth of 17 metres. The port
will also consist of a Service Vessel Berth of 105 metres long, an Oil
Terminal Berth of 310 metres long at a 17 metres depth and a Quay Wall
(General Cargo) of 600 metres long at a 17 metres depth. The West and
East breakwaters constructed for the port are of 988 metres and 312
metres long respectively. |