Ports

[Amal]

Ferry service MOU signed

Olindhi Jayasundere

FRIDAY, 07 JANUARY 2011 17:26

A new ferry service from Sri Lanka to India will be commencing soon and the MoU in this regard was signed between the two countries at the Temple Tress a short while ago, the Ports and Highways Ministry said.

A ministry official said that the Ceylon Shipping Corporation will be operating three passenger ships from the Colombo harbor to the Tuticorin harbor in India which will in turn operate three ships as well. “There will be six ships traveling between the two countries three days a week,” the official said.

He said the ferries can transport 300-500 passengers and could cost less than 30% of what one would spend on a plane ticket. He said that each passenger is allowed to carry baggage of100kg and trip takes about 8 hours by ferry.

“The ferry service is to cater to the needs of Sri Lankan and Indian businessman, tourists, and for those who travel between the two countries regularly. Furthermore it will further enhance the ties that Sri Lanka shares with India,” he said.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/8869-...u-signed-.html

[Amal]

Sri Lanka, India to relaunch ferry service after three decades

Fri Jan 7, 2011 8:52am EST

COLOMBO (Reuters) - India and Sri Lanka on Friday signed an agreement to restart sea ferry services shut down for nearly 30 years, the latest sign of resurgent economic ties since the end of Sri Lanka's quarter-century civil war.

The two nations gave no immediate timeframe, but said the service should start shortly.

"Sea passenger transportation between India and Sri Lanka is being established...to speedily restore the traditional links between the two countries," a joint statement said.

Sri Lanka's $42 billion economy is on an economic revival path after the end of the fight against Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. Sri Lanka has been trying to establish economic ties with India after having turned down demands by South Indian Tamils to halt the war in its final phase.

One service will be between the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and South India's Tuticorin. Another will be between Sri Lanka's northwestern town of Talaimannar and India's Rameshwaram, a service that was stopped in 1982 due to the civil war.

India and China are increasingly competing for lucrative and strategic investments in Sri Lanka since the end the war after both of them provided military assistance, including ammunition, in the final phase of the war.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...7062PY20110107

[saraprobe]

Source:CHEC Ltd.Time:2011-01-06

On 31st December 2010, CHEC Ltd. signed EPC project of Phase II of Hambantota Port in SriLanka. The contract value amounted to USD810 million with construction period of 36 months. This project is composed of four 100,000DWT container berths, one 100,000t-class oil terminal and two 30,000t feeder berths.

http://en.ccccltd.cn/newscentre/busi...0106_2654.html

[Amal]

Sri Lanka ship fuel vendors eye new port prospects

Jan 08, 2011 (LBO) - Sri Lankan bunker firms want the government to open up to the private sector ship fuel supplies at a new port on the south coast close to the main shipping route, officials said.

The market for ship fuel can be expanded as hundreds of vessels daily sail past the new Hambantota port which was opened last November, they said.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has announced it plans to start bunkering operations at Hambantota in May and is buying four bunker barges.

The SLPA has said bunkering will not be opened to private suppliers in Hambantota as it wants to keep the business for itself to earn revenue on ship fuel sales to help repay loans from China taken to build the port.

But Sri Lankan bunker firms are lobbying for the bunker business to be opened to the private sector, saying increased competition and efficiency will expand the market.

FULL STORY: http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...?nid=124939491

[Amal]

Sri Lanka new port nears half-way mark

Feb 10, 2011 (LBO) - Infrastructure work on a new container port next to Sri Lanka's existing Colombo harbour that will expand capacity has neared the halfway mark and is on schedule, officials said.

Deputy ports minister Rohitha Abeygunawardene said the construction of the breakwater and dredging of the harbour basin will be completed by April 2012.
"The new Colombo South Harbour that is being built will be three times bigger than the existing port," he told reporters taken for a site visit.

"The new port will help cement Colombo's position as south Asia's transhipment hub and make the island a maritime centre.'

The infrastructure work is being done by South Korea's Hyundai.

Hyung Kim, project director, representing Hyundai, said much of the breakwater work has been completed along with most of the dredging to deepen the harbour basin and access channel for ships.

Two breakwaters are being built.

Kim said 4.15 kilometres of the main breakwater of 5.1 kilometres has been completed along with 400 metres of the secondary breakwater which will have a length of 1.1 kilometres.

Of the total 19 million cubic metres of sand that had to be dredged under the project, 15 million cubic metres has already been done, leaving four million cubic metres to be dredged, he added.

Most of the dredged sand has been used in the core of the breakwater.

A ports ministry statement said 48 percent of the work on the project has been completed so far.

The new port will expand Colombo's container handling capacity and is needed as existing terminals are nearing capacity.

The first container terminal is to be built by a consortium consisting of China Merchants Holdings and the local Aitken Spence conglomerate, the sole bidders for the terminal project.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...nid=2095656894

[Amal]

Cargo shipping service to Colombo resumes

TUTICORIN, FEB 12, 2011

Cargo shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo resumed today after a gap of three years with the shipment of 330 tonnes of commodities from here.

M V N Raj TPN 241 left for Colombo from the old port here carrying goods including onion, potato, corn, and turmeric, officials said.

It would take about 24 hours for a vessel to reach Colombo, about 150 nautical miles away from the port here. Private cargo shipping service between India and Sri Lanka was stopped in 2008 due to ethnic war in Sri Lanka.

Cargo shipping service between Tuticorin and Maldives is already in operation.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle1447403.ece

[pathum]

COLOMBO PORT 2011-FEB-17

[FazilLanka]

With the completion of the development activities:

Colombo port - One of the few to serve large ships




Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

With the completion of the development activities in the Colombo port, it will be one of the few ports to serve large ships, which are at present used frequently in the global shipping industry.


Rohan Masakorala

The current growth level in the regional shipping industry, which records a continuous growth, has created viable business for the industrialists. Therefore, it is important to address the regulatory reforms that are necessary to further fuel the growth, Colombo Shippers’ Academy Chief Executive Officer and Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA) Senior Consultant Rohan Masakorala told Daily News Business.

The Government needs to introduce anti competitive regulatory reforms to eliminate such practices. The Government intervention is necessary while ensuring the free market operation, he said.

The anti competitive practices will adversely affect the shipping community and the rates should not be increased in an ad hoc manner. The pricing should be similar to that of developed countries and need to have rationality in the pricing mechanism, he said.

In keeping with the budget proposals certain Acts are amended to facilitate the process to enable Sri Lanka to become a trading hub. The respective committees are working on these issues at present.

The construction of five kilometres of the Colombo South Port breakwater project is on schedule and will be completed by the end of this year. The industrialists expect the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) to complete the terminal building with an investor partner. The terminal will be operative by early 2013.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa (Magampura) Port will take a few years to reach the operational level. The SLPA needs to position it as a friendly and competitive port to attract businesses. It needs to differentiate and be innovative to become competitive. There should be an immediate financial and marketing plans and an awareness building process to ensure sufficient business is attracted to the port, he said.

“The regional ports are competing and the competition is healthy to improve the level of efficiency.

We need to do our job right to bring in business for the country. Sri Lanka could capitalize on its position on global shipping industry where the country is ranked around 30th among the container ports. It is considered as a main transshipment hub,” he sad.

“The shipping industry is faced with the uncertainty in the global oil prices and the market being imbalanced. We see lot of major fluctuations in the freight charges. However, the global economic recovery will have a positive impact on the shipping industry where Sri Lanka could benefit from,” Masakorala said.

[dfdo]

Sri Lanka to construct new Colombo Port City at a cost of US$ 300 million
Sun, Apr 3, 2011, 09:15 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


Apr 03, Colombo: Under a presidential directive, the Sri Lankan government is to reclaim between 300-400 acres of sea land between the Colombo South Port Development project and the Galle Face Green in order to build a Port City at a cost of US$ 300 million.

The proposed offshore city, to be divided into three segments- business, residential and leisure, will be developed into a modern city with high rises, hotels, residential apartments, shopping malls, and other space to cater to the public needs.

The Ports and Highways Ministry says that of the 330 acres 200 acres of the City are to be either sold outright or given out on a long term lease to investors.

The government is hopeful of providing land to investors for leisure activities and international hotel chains. The government is to consider offering tax holidays and a 30-year lease on land to attract foreign investors. Local investors are also expected to invest in the new City.

The Ministry says that before filling of the reclaimed sea land for the new City commences, a second breakwater is to be built in front of the Old Parliament at sea level, which would serve as a buffer to the City.

Deputy Ports and Highways Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardana has already informed parliament that a feasibility study and an environmental impact assessment are underway by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the Moratuwa University.

The City will use construction resources from the Colombo Harbour Expansion Project, currently under construction near the site of this proposed city.

Hydraulic experts have validated the feasibility of reclaiming the sea land and concluded that it is unlikely to cause a harmful effect on the environment such as beach and land erosion but there could be a long term impact on marine resources. Land reclamation is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

The Urban Development Authority is to prepare schematic diagrams for the new City after completion of the filling work.

Building this New Colombo City on Sea will be carried out in coordination with the Urban Development Authority, Colombo Municipal Council, All Service Ministries, and the Archaeological Department, the government has said.

[dfdo]

Government To Reclaim Sea Land For New Port City
Project To Cost US$ 300 Million
By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The government is to reclaim between 300 – 400 acres of sea land between the Colombo South Port Development project and the Galle Face Green in order to build a Port City at a cost of US$ 300 million. The new City is to be divided into three segments — business, residential and leisure. Of the 330 acres 200 acres of the city is to be either sold outright or given out on a long term lease to investors.
The government is hopeful of providing land to investors for leisure activities and international hotel chains. Local investors are also expected to invest in the new City.
Before filling of the reclaimed sea land for the new City commences, a second breakwater is to be built in front of the Old Parliament at sea level, which would serve as a buffer to the City.
The filling of the land is to then commence from the outer side of the Colombo South Port breakwater.
Deputy Ports and Highways Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena has already informed parliament that a feasibility study and an environmental impact assessment is underway by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the Moratuwa University.
Since the filling of land is to extend towards the deep sea, attention is to be paid to ensure that the City would be able to withstand large waves.
Measures would be taken to prevent the possible erosion of the beach due to the change in the wave patterns and to prevent sea water from seeping into the land area.
A separate environmental impact study is to be carried out by the Coast Conservation Department to identify the possible issues that may have to be addressed when developing the new City.
The government has stated that the main aim of developing the new Port City would be to uplift the image of the Colombo City as a hub in regional and international trade.
The new City is to include a yacht marina, a mini duty-free shop and a Customs office. This itself would be a mini international harbour.
The new City development project is to also include the expansion of the Galle Face Green and the extension of the Marine Drive from Colpetty to the south of the Green.
The Ports Ministry states that the development of the Port City would be carried out after considering the data and experiences in the Colombo South Port project and in a manner that would not harm the newly built breakwater for the port.
According to Abeygunawardena, the development of a new Port City would prevent the need to construct a protective wall for the breakwater and therefore would be able to save money.
Once an agreement is reached on the plan of the New Port City, the relevant state institutions would be informed to make the necessary allocations to develop the infrastructure.
Lotus Road, which lies between Galadari Hotel and the Old Parliament building is to be extended to the sea from the roundabout, creating a four-way junction with a bridge.
The new City will be well connected to the Colombo City with easy access.
According to the Ports Ministry, there will be inclusive development where the new City and the surrounding areas of the Colombo City are concerned.
The Minister stated that the new City will be developed to blend in with the surrounding areas of Colombo City.

[dfdo]

Notice the New Port City would only go till Lotus Road and roundabout.

[lordvader]

Originally Posted by dfdo

Notice the New Port City would only go till Lotus Road and roundabout.

I reckon the casinos should come up in this new area instead of at DR Wije Mw (as is rumoured). This area is pretty much separated from the rest of the city, so therefore it wont be near any schools etc. A new cruise ship passenger terminal with duty free shops and amusement parks (as well as a halo hotel -like the Burj Arab) should be built in the area as well.

[saraprobe]

New crains being unloaded at the Port Of Colombo

[Amal]

Sri Lanka port sees strong container traffic growth

Container volumes through Sri Lanka's main port have maintained rapid growth so far this year with government data showing increasing domestic as well as transhipment cargo as local and regional trade rebounds.

The number of ships calling at Colombo port has also increased after falling in 2010 compared with the year before, central bank data showed.

Total containers handled by the port in February 2011 rose 10.7 percent to 336,724 TEUs or twenty - foot equivalent container units from the year before with growth in January - February 2011 up 11.8 percent to 706,936 TEUs.

Transhipment traffic, the port's main business of relaying cargo to and from smaller ports in the Indian sub-continent, grew 12 percent in February 2011 to 253,788 TEUs from a year ago.

The numbers reflected faster economic and trade growth especially in India which accounts for almost two-thirds of the port's transhipment cargo.

The number of domestic import and export containers handled by Colombo port rose 9.2 percent to 75,334 TEUs in February 2011 from the previous year as the island economy recovered after a 30-year ethnic war which ended in may 2009.

Sri Lanka's economy grew 8.0 percent during 2010 and is forecast to grow around nine percent in 2012 to 2013.

The central bank data also showed that the number of shops calling at Colombo port also grew in the first two months of this year, reversing a declining trend last year.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...nid=1283922200

[Amal]

Originally Posted by saraprobe

New crains being unloaded at the Port Of Colombo

JCT at the Colombo Port to use new cranes from this week

Colombo: The three brand new Gantry Cranes and six Transfer Cranes imported by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will be utilized in operations at the Port's Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) from this week, SLPA authorities said.

The new technologically advanced equipment, ordered from China at a cost of 7.2 billion rupees to enhance the efficiency at the JCT, have been unloaded and located last week.

SLPA said it has already started training relevant employees on handling the new equipment.

SLPA in May 2010 had reached an agreement with the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry (ZPMC), the world's largest manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment, to import one STS Gantry Crane of 65 tons capacity, two STS Gantry Cranes of 50 tons capacity, and twenty four RTG Cranes of 41 tons capacity.

The newly arrived cranes have been located at the JCT under the supervision of the engineers of SLPA and ZPMC.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_1...02620397JR.php

[Amal]

Sri Lanka Colombo port cargo flows increasing

May 16, 2011 (LBO) - Container cargo at Sri Lanka's main port of Colombo, South Asia's transhipment hub, rose in the first quarter of this year indicating continued growth in regional and domestic trade.

Total containers handled by Colombo rose 8.4 percent in the first quarter of 2011 to 1,076,540 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units) from a year with the number of boxes handled in March alone up 2.4 percent to 369,604 boxes. The number of domestic containers handled grew 8.3 percent in the first quarter of 2011 from a year ago to 249,500 TEUs and was up 1.4 percent in March, central bank statistics showed.

Ship traffic at Colombo port rose eight percent to 376 in March 2011 from a year and grew 4.3 percent to 1,053 in the January - March period.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...?nid=367503821

[Amal]

Sri Lanka state port agency loses US$10mn in 2010

June 12, 2011 (LBO) - State-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority has lost 1.1 billion rupees in 2010 partly due foreign exchange losses on Yen loans and a rising wage bill despite revenues rising 19 percent to 28.2 billion rupees, official data showed.

The port's container terminal had handled 2.1 million containers in 2010, recovering from a low of 1.7 million during a global recession in 2009, a finance ministry report said.

Container volumes had grown despite a decline in ship arrivals to 4,657 from 5,162 a year earlier. SLPA's container volumes had risen 19.4 percent compared to Shanghai 16.2 percent, Singapore 9.9 percent and Hong Kong 12 percent.

The agency's operating costs rose to 25.1 billion rupees up from 21.7 billion with wage costs rising from 12.5 billion rupees to 14.0 billion, a finance ministry report said. However revenue per employee had risen to 2.2 million from 1.7 million a year earlier.

Sri Lanka's Daily FT newspaper said the port is operating a 4.1 billion rupee voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to shed excess workers in its cadre of 12,550.

Sri Lanka's ports ministers over several decades had stuffed the port with supporters from their constituencies. Sri Lanka state rail and bus services suffer from the same fate.

The newspaper quoted SLPA additional managing director Norman Weerarathne as saying that 2,398 had applied for the VRS which closed on May 06, though only 2,000 were expected.

Employees with over 10 year's service and 5 years to retirement would get 2.0 million rupees in compensation. Workers with less than 5 years to retire would get below 2.0 million rupees.

"There is still an excess even after the VRS," Weerarathne was quoted as saying. "They will be laid out in an organised manner over the operational needs of the authority."

Sri Lanka Ports Authority has given a concession to build a new container terminal to China Merchant Holdings and Sri Lanka's Aitken Spence in a expanded area covered by a new breakwater built with Asian Development Bank funds.

It has also built a port in Hambantota in the south of the country with a Chinese loan and is setting up an industrial zone there. Another industrial zone will be set up around the north eastern port of Trincomalee.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...nid=1728908518

[Amal]

Ferry service to Colombo from Indian port resumes after 20 years

Mon, Jun 13, 2011, 09:03 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

June 13, Tuticorin: India today launched the much-awaited ferry service between its Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's Colombo port.

India's Union Minister of Shipping, G.K.Vasan today flagged off the MV Scotia Prince at V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tuticorin to resume the Tuticorin-Colombo passenger ferry service that has been suspended for 20 years due to the terrorist activities that engulfed Sri Lanka over the past three decades.

The 9-story MV Scotia Prince, making its first voyage to Colombo set sail this afternoon from the VOC port carrying 66 goodwill ambassadors. It is expected to reach Colombo Tomorrow morning at 8 am.

At the event, the Indian Minister has said that it is a historic moment for Indian Shipping, particularly for the VOC Port and Tamil Nadu, since it marked the revival after so many decades of the service started by V.O.C in 1907.

He has stated that this was a fulfillment of a long pending public demand and this would benefit people of both the countries, particularly the Tamil Population besides giving boost to cultural ties, tourism, and trade, a release from Press Information Bureau said.

The Union Minister has expressed hope that the service will help in transforming VOC Port and Tuticorin into a hub for passenger ferry services and cruise shipping.

He said that the government is also working on resuming the Rameshwaram-Talaimanar ferry service which was discontinued in the 1980s.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_1...07979202CH.php

[Amal]

Sri Lanka, India resume ferry service after 30-yrs

Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:39am EDT

(Reuters) - India and Sri Lanka on Tuesday resumed sea ferry services for the first time in 30 years, aiming to boost tourism and economic cooperation after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war.

An Indian ferry with a capacity for 1,044 passengers docked at Colombo's port this morning after leaving Tuticorin port. Officials said a Sri Lankan ferry would also make the journey within two weeks, and the service could be boosted to three round trips a week, depending on passenger traffic.

"(This) will be beneficial to the economic, social and cultural advancement of the two countries," Sri Lanka's Ports Ministry said in a statement.

"With the end of the three-decade war in Sri Lanka, the tourism industry has gained impetus and is expected to have a boost from this ferry service."

Ferry services between India and Sri Lanka stopped in 1982 due to civil war, which ended in 2009.

According to the agreement, ferry services between Sri Lanka's northwestern town of Talaimannar and India's Rameshwaram would also resume, but Ports Ministry officials did not give a date as infrastructure in war-hit Talaimannar is still being rebuilt.

Sri Lanka's $50 billion economy is on an economic revival path after the end of the fight against Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. Sri Lanka has been trying to establish economic ties with India after having turned down demands by South Indian Tamils to halt the war in its final phase.

India and China are increasingly competing for lucrative and strategic investments in Sri Lanka since the end the war after both of them provided military assistance, including ammunition, in the final phase of the war.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7HE0YL20110614

[Amal]