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| Sunday, 27 April 2003 |
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Lalith - Architect of Sri Lanka Ports Authority On April 23, 2003, Sri Lanka commemorated the 10th death anniversary of the late Lalith Athulathmudali, former Minister of Trade and Shipping and National Security and Deputy Minister of Defence. With his erudite and multi-faceted characteristics, he contributed immensely to bring about tremendous changes in the political, economic and social life in the contemporary history of Sri Lanka. The writer was associated with the late Athulathmudali in projects
related to development of ports in Sri Lanka and the Port of Colombo in
particular. As a comparatively young, dynamic minister in the J. R. Jayewardene government in 1977, Athulathmudali was entrusted with one of the most important portfolios - Trade and shipping. Tackling the gigantic task was a great challenge and opened an opportunity for him to prove his abilities. He had a clear vision for the ports in Sri Lanka with emphasis laid on the Port of Colombo. He observed that there was great potential in this field which had not been tapped over the years. Athulathmudali was determined to transform the Colombo Port from a country port to an economically viable and commercially profitable port in the South Asian region. To achieve this objective, he took positive and innovative steps to restructure the existing port. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), formed on August 1, 1979 was the brainchild of Lalith Athulathmudali. The historic landmark in the annals of the Port was formed by merging the Colombo Port Commission, Port (Cargo) Corporation and Port Tally and Protective Services Corporation. This gave reality to the concept of a unified and autonomous body under a single line of command to better coordinate and direct port activities and their future development, thus eliminating problems of dual control, overlapping of functions and lack of co-ordination and made it possible for overall planning for development and efficient management of the port. The complex task of integration was effected smoothly with the blessings and corporation of 23,000 employees in 63 trades in the three organisations. Containers first appeared in Colombo in December 1973. The American President Line brought them mostly on board their self-operational vessels which had their own prime movers and trailers. In the mid-sixties, the then Colombo Port Commission planned to establish a bulk handling berth by extending the Queen Elizabeth Quay. But as the container mode was catching on at the time and the trend gathered momentum, the Port Commission decided to use it for container handling. Due to financial constraints, the proposed project could not get off the ground. However, the Ports Authority gave top priority to this project. This container berth which was designed and constructed by our engineering and technical staff at a cost of Rs. 100 million was ceremonially commissioned by the then President J. R. Jayewardene on the invitation of Minister Athulathmudali on the first anniversary of the SLPA on August 1, 1980. The Colombo Port was the first in South Asia to install a gantry crane from SLPA's own funds. In 1989 another gantry crane was introduced with a loan from the Japanese government. This terminal provided an annual handling capacity of 250,000 TEUs. Jaye Container Terminal Based on a master plan for port development submitted by Japan International Cooperation Agency in March 1980 recommending the construction of new container berths, and an in-depth study of the master plan by an SLPA technical committee, it was agreed to site the new terminal in the northern area of the port (coal jetties). Japan agreed to extend financial assistance to this project. The construction of berth number I, with a length of 300 metres and long side draft of 12 metres, commenced in December 1982 and was completed and ceremonially commissioned as the Jaye Container Terminal (JCT) on August 2, 1985 by President Jayewardene. The work progressed in to JCT number 2 and was completed in 1987. Construction of JCT No. 3 commenced in 1991 and continued to No. 4. In 1980 at inception, the Port handled only 41,622 TEUs and was ranked 139th among international container ports. In 1988 it handled 628,485 TEUs and was rated 26th. The greatest achievement of Minister Athulathmudali was transforming this country port into a modern hub port of South Asia. Under his able, inspiring and dynamic leadership, the Port was able to sustain growth, protect its market share and attract major shipping lines to Colombo. The Publicity and Public Relations Bureau of the SLPA played a positive and key role towards this end. Programmes and projects were planned, designed and implemented to promote SLPA's corporate image with emphasis on the Port of Colombo. There were regular meetings with the media, chambers of commerce, exporters, shipping and vessel operators to ensure that any dispute could be sorted out promptly without adversely affecting operations. A port handbook was released every three years while seminars were conducted at national and international level to promote Colombo as a leading hub port in the region. Mahapola Training Institute The Mahapola Training Institute was inaugurated on January 21, 1987 to upgrade skills in the Port, a) Port operations b) Management and c) Technical fields. The SLPA set apart Rs. 45 million from its own funds towards this project assisted by UNDP through the UNCTAD/ILO project. Another significant milestone in the Port during the Athulathmudali era was the completion of the 'Varaya Sambuddha Jayanthi Chaitya', of which work had been progressing at snail's space. The Athulathmudali era undoubtedly was the golden era of the Port of Colombo. A. Godwin de Alwis, General Secretary, Pragna Study Circle |
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