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Sunday, 16 November 2003    
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Efforts to improve capacity at Colombo Port

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is to launch concerted efforts to improve the quayside, yard operating and yard storage capacity in the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) and Unity Container Terminal (UCT) of the Colombo Port to ensure a 50 per cent increase in capacity.

A long and short-term programme is being streamlined for this purpose and the necessary funds are expected from the Japan Bank of International Corporation.

As advised by Minister of Port Development and Shipping Rauff Hakeem, priority has been given for the expansion of facilities at the Colombo Port, said Chairman, SLPA, Dr Parakrama Dissanayaka.

Higher productivity, faster turnaround of vessels and improvement of efficiency and facilities have resulted in a demand from shipping lines to use the facilities at the JCT, resulting in the signing of exclusivity agreements with five major shipping lines, committing their volumes of traffic to the JCT for a specified number of years. Two more terminal service agreements are due to be signed shortly. The demand to use JCT facilities is increasing and as such, it is necessary to further enhance capacity on a fast track basis.

The harbour basin has been dredged to -15 metres and the channel to -16 metres with the JCT berths 3 and 4 being deepened to -15 metres. The six cranes at JCT 3 and 4 have been extended in outreach from 16 to 18 boxes across to meet the larger sizes of ships encountered. The North Channel has been deepened from -11 metres to -13 metres to improve navigational efficiency.

The JCT has achieved enhanced efficiency and productivity by eliminating the speed money system, providing incentive schemes, working every day of the year including May Day with 100 per cent worker attendance on all public holidays and by winning the corporation of employees. The JCT has also been corporatised under Jaya Container Terminal Limited to provide greater autonomy.

These recent improvements in efficiency, productivity and infrastructure, reflected in JCT's performance in 2003, has enhanced its capacity to 1.85 million TEU per annum.

The redeveloped New North Pier, the UCT, designed to handle feeder vessels, will further enhance this capacity when the three container cranes and eight transfer cranes are commissioned in April 2004, providing an additional capacity of 0.35 million TEU per annum. The computer system will be enhanced and extended to UCT. The current capacity of the JCT and UCT will approach 2.2 and 2.3 million TEU per annum.

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