Hambantota Port takes quantum leap, expands services

The Hambantota Port has taken a quantum leap since the establishment of two Private-Public Partnership (PPP) Companies Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS), set up by China Merchants Port Holdings Company and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, a top company official told Ceylon FT.

“Since commencing operations with the handling of the first Roll-on/Roll-off (RO-RO ) vessel on 18 December, the Port has come a long way by introducing industry best practices and gaining the confidence of top global pure car carriers”, he said on the sidelines of a recent Forum in Colombo.

According to him, all of the major carriers have sent their top operational teams to assess the performance and also provide training to meet individual standards.

“This has given the confidence to the HIPG management to vigorously follow up on delivering service standards which are above customer expectations”, a spokesman said.

The other lines of businesses that are currently being lined up for the short to medium-term are the handling of break-bulk cargo such as construction equipment, manufacturing materials, oversized vehicles, boats, cranes, turbine blades, ship propellers, generators, large engines and bulk cargo like commodity cargo such as petroleum/crude oil, grain.

The port total container handling capacity is 198,000TEUs and also has a 950,000 tons Break Bulk handling capacity. Its bulk Cargo capacity is around 2.5million tons (including 1.6 million tons’ cement) and it also has 396,000units RO-RO capacity.
The mobilization of the tank farm is on track and is expected that this business will also come on stream after all statutory safety and regulatory classification compliance has been met.

The Port of Hambantota is in the central of Asia-Europe shipping route and adjacent to the Indian Sub-continent – the emerging markets.

Those strategic advantages provide the opportunity to make the Port of Hambantota as one of the world’s most lucrative transshipment hub’s for shipping industry in the future.
Hambantota International Port Group’s main business include the management of Container Terminals, Ro-Ro Terminals, General Terminals, Oil tank, refining and Terminal, Warehousing, Development the artificial island and other activities related to container business.

Hambantota International Port Services will provide Pilotage Service, Provision of Aids to Navigation, Anchorage Service, Towage/Tug Service, Mooring Service.

On 30 July 2013, the Ministry of Finance and Planning has declared the ports at Colombo and Hambantota as Free Ports.
As a hub closest to Indian Sub-Continent, Sri Lanka serves a vast hinterland of seven countries in South Asia with more than 1.5 billion population.

Sri Lanka has established a convenient feeder network between Colombo Port and the Ports of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“More than 90% of the transshipment cargoes are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, while currently Colombo Port only handled around 30% of total transshipment cargoes for South Asia countries,” he said.