The Colombo Port is on the brink of the 7 million TEU container throughput landmark for 2018.
“We are almost there, which will also be the highest and best ever performance of the Colombo Port, an upbeat Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake told Daily News Business yesterday.
He expressed confidence that the landmark was within reach despite the head winds which usually prevail at this time of the year, which could have an impact on the docking of vessels in the Colombo Port.
He also said that one of the world’s largest shipping lines which patronizes the Colombo Port Maersk Lines which accounts for 20% of the business of the Colombo Port, had assured the Government that they would increase the volumes to Colombo on a year on year basis.
“This assurance was provided to the Government when former Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe and I paid a courtesy call on the A.P. Moller Maersk Lines Group Transport and Logistics CEO Soren Skouand it was he who provided us with that assurance, the SLPA Chief said.
“Maersk is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest shipping clients and it was indeed important that we pay them these courtesy calls at the highest level.
This is also the second time in 15 years that a Sri Lankan Shipping Minister and I paid a courtesy call on Maersk since 2003,” he explained.
They are fully committed to the Port of Colombo and they will undoubtedly keep increasing the volumes in and out of Colombo, he said.
“This was a courtesy call to solicit their support and that was what we achieved,” he said.
Dr. Dissanayake also said that the cause of the Colombo Port was further evidenced and buttressed by that it was adjudged as the fastest growing port in the world and even ahead of competing ports such as Singapore which was the second best, the ports of Dubai, Fujairah, Salalah in the Gulf and Tanjun Pelepas in Malaysia in the first half of 2018 and that was also due to head winds that affect all global ports and economies, he asserted.
Add new comment