Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has stated that cargo to and from India accounts for 62 per cent of Colombo portÂ’s transshipment business. SLPA’s Chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrama said that at present, Colombo is handling 16 per cent of IndiaÂ’s transshipment of 10 million TEU, but it hopes to increase it to 23 per cent, given the portÂ’s expansion plans. The new port coming up on the southern side of the existing harbour will increase ColomboÂ’s capacity by 40 per cent.
The new port is being constructed by China Merchant Holding, Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and DY Engineering of South Korea. Hambantota port has a bright future given its location bang on the busy Asia-Europe shipping route. ‘Hambantota is, and will be a 100 per cent commercial port,’ the chairman said on whether it could become a Chinese naval base.
The new port will have three container terminals with a total land area of 200 hectares. Each terminal will be 480 metres long. The harbourÂ’s depth will be 18 metres. The first terminal is to be completed by April 2014. The new port can accommodate 18,000 TEU vessels.
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