*Hambantota harbour construction:

First phase complete in August

*Total cost US $ 360 million:

*First ship to arrive in November:

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The first phase of the Hambantota harbour construction will be completed by August this year and it will be followed by the process of filling the harbour with sea water, Ports and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said.

The phase of the Hambantota harbour construction will cost US $360 million.

The Ports and Aviation Ministry has scheduled to bring the first ship into the harbour by November.

The Ministry has planned to export local products including sugar, rubber and milk products by the first ship leaving the Hambantota Port, Minister Rajapaksa added. At first the harbour will be filled with small quantities of water to allow the public to wallow and enjoy in the water as this is an opportunity once in a lifetime. After two months the harbour will be filled with water up to the required water level and the first ship will be navigated in, the Minister said.

The harbour is being constructed in three phases, the first phase is to moor three ships at a time and the construction of two jetties.

Each jetty will be 310 metres long and deep enough to berth large ships. The depth of the harbour from the sea level is 17 metres. The deepest point in the Colombo harbour is said to be 15.5 metres.

“The largest ship in the world needs a 16.5 depth. Therefore Hambantota harbour is deep enough for any ship in the world to berth,” Ports Authority Chairman Dr Priyath Wickrama said.

The West and East breakwaters which have already been constructed for the port are 988 metres and 312 metres long. A seventeen storeyed building will also be constructed for administrative and operational activities.

Around 3,000 hectares of the required land have been acquired. The construction work on jetties and soil removing activities are going on. It has been estimated that 17 million cubic metres of soil will have to be removed from the site.

This soil will be used for constructing a small island just close to the harbour. This island will be used as a tourist attraction. “This biggest service and industrial port in the country is being constructed closest to the international maritime route in Hambantota. It is the nearest point to the main shipping route that connects East and West. The region is also considered a better geographical location with fair weather conditions and closer to deep contours for such constructions” the Chairman added.

More than 25,000 direct employment and 200,000 indirect employments will be generated within the next five years in the ports and shipping sector, Dr. Wickrama further said.