Port targets four million TEUs in 2010
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama
said the growth of Colombo Port during recent past, stood tremendous.
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Dr. Priyath Wickrama |
Speaking at The 10th IAPH Asia / Oceania Regional Meeting and Port
Forum which was held in Indonesia he said: “Our target for 2010 is four
million TEUs and we are confident that we can achieve this target
without any difficulty with the recovery of the global recession.
“During the last two months we experienced a rapid increase in
volumes nearly 20 percent compared to the previous years,” he said. The
cargo forecast done by Scott Wilson of UK a few years back had stated in
their analysis that the potential for container cargo at the Colombo
Port is tremendous and that the port would be reaching its maximum
capacity around 4.5 million TEUs in 2012, he said.
He said SLPA has already started capacity improvement in the yards by
increasing the yard space, introducing new modern quay side and yard
gantry cranes, whilst the state of the art modern terminal operation
system is now operational. Commenting on the latest development of the
Colombo Port Expansion Project, he said that on completion of the entire
project the port would have three terminals and an extension of the
breakwater where the port can have an additional terminal as well.
Nearly 1700m of the break water construction work of the Colombo Port
Expansion Project is partially completed and nearly 80 percent of the
Reclamation work and half of the dredging work is also completed.
The first container terminal construction works of the project will
commence in the second quarter of this year on BOT terms.
“SLPA has already selected the party for this mega development work
worth more than US $ 480 million and the final negotiations are taking
place at present,” Wickrama said. |
