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China to build new deepwater container terminal in Sri Lanka
Port Technology reports that a private investor consortium, led by China Merchant Holdings, is in the final stages of negotiations with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) on the construction of a new deepwater container terminal.
The SLPA's Chairman Priyath Wickrama confirmed that, after many years of delay, the port authority had only managed to attract one bidder for the project, which covers the design and construction of the terminal.
Port Technology said a new port has been urgently needed to expand handling capacity and handle larger containerships being deployed on new routes. The new port would increase cargo handling capacity with the addition of three new terminals.
Construction of the first new container terminal, expected to cost US $400 million, will start in the second quarter of this year on a build-operate-transfer basis, Mr Wickrama said, speaking at a regional port forum in Bandung, Indonesia, earlier this month.
Colombo ports cargo flows are also recovering as trade recovers from recession, Wickrama said.
"Our target for 2010 is four million twenty-foot containers and we are quite confident that we can achieve this target without any difficulty. With the economic recovery in the last two months we experienced a rapid increase in volumes of nearly 20 percent compared to previous years," he told Port Technology.
An SLPA statement said that cargo forecasts for Colombo had said the port would be reach maximum capacity of around 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in 2012.
SLPA has already started improving capacity in the port by increasing the yard space, introducing new quay side and yard gantry cranes and installing a modern terminal operation system. Ship traffic and container volumes in Colombo port slumped in 2009 compared with 2008 because of the trade slowdown caused by recession but began picking up towards the end of the year.
SLPA terminals also lost market share to the private South Asia Gateway Terminals in which conglomerate John Keells Holdings has a big stake.
The government is holding talks with the consortium in an effort to enhance the royalty payments to ensure it can repay an Asian Development Bank loan taken to dredge the new port and build a breakwater.
China to build new deepwater container terminal in Sri Lanka - Dredging News Online
Port Technology reports that a private investor consortium, led by China Merchant Holdings, is in the final stages of negotiations with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) on the construction of a new deepwater container terminal.
The SLPA's Chairman Priyath Wickrama confirmed that, after many years of delay, the port authority had only managed to attract one bidder for the project, which covers the design and construction of the terminal.
Port Technology said a new port has been urgently needed to expand handling capacity and handle larger containerships being deployed on new routes. The new port would increase cargo handling capacity with the addition of three new terminals.
Construction of the first new container terminal, expected to cost US $400 million, will start in the second quarter of this year on a build-operate-transfer basis, Mr Wickrama said, speaking at a regional port forum in Bandung, Indonesia, earlier this month.
Colombo ports cargo flows are also recovering as trade recovers from recession, Wickrama said.
"Our target for 2010 is four million twenty-foot containers and we are quite confident that we can achieve this target without any difficulty. With the economic recovery in the last two months we experienced a rapid increase in volumes of nearly 20 percent compared to previous years," he told Port Technology.
An SLPA statement said that cargo forecasts for Colombo had said the port would be reach maximum capacity of around 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in 2012.
SLPA has already started improving capacity in the port by increasing the yard space, introducing new quay side and yard gantry cranes and installing a modern terminal operation system. Ship traffic and container volumes in Colombo port slumped in 2009 compared with 2008 because of the trade slowdown caused by recession but began picking up towards the end of the year.
SLPA terminals also lost market share to the private South Asia Gateway Terminals in which conglomerate John Keells Holdings has a big stake.
The government is holding talks with the consortium in an effort to enhance the royalty payments to ensure it can repay an Asian Development Bank loan taken to dredge the new port and build a breakwater.
China to build new deepwater container terminal in Sri Lanka - Dredging News Online
