Container volumes handled by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) hit a record two million in the 11 months to November 2010, up 26.5 percent from a year ago.
Total containers handled by the port of Colombo would reach four million TEUs (Twenty-foot container Equivalent Units) before the end of the year, also a new high, the SLPA said.
There has been a 37 percent increase in local import and export containers handled by the state-run SLPA terminals and a 21 percent increase in transshipment traffic, reflecting a sharp recovery in both domestic and regional trade.
The SLPA attracted about eleven new shipping services to Jaya Container Terminal, the main SLPA terminal, managing director Nihal Keppetipola said.
He said the SLPA was expanding its capacity with the construction of two deep-water ports, one next to the existing one in Colombo and the other in southern Hambantota.
"Phase 1 of the Colombo South Harbour project, which gives an additional 2.4 million TEU capacity, will too be ready by early 2013, ensuring Sri Lanka retains its status as South Asia's container hub."
|
Contact Information:: Send
mail to