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| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
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Meeting Sethusamudram challenge : Fast track Colombo Port development, says Advisor by Surekha Galagoda The Colombo Port needs to fast track its development activities and also improve its activities to overcome the adverse implications of the Sethusamudram canal project, said Special Advisor, Sri Lanka Ports Authority Prasanna Weerasinghe addressing a seminar on Sethusamudram Canal Project Implications for Business. He said that by providing state of the art facilities, improving the quality of service to ensure rapid turn- around of vessels enhancing capacity, providing facilities for cargo services and increasing export processing investment are some of the activities that need to be done to overcome the adverse impact of the project. Weerasinghe said the impact of the canal and Indian port development depends on the depth of the canal and the time taken to complete the project adding that there is an enormous market and if Sri Lanka and the Port and shipping sector is proactive we can attract this market by providing a good service to the existing lines and by attracting new lines. Even at present only 15% of the Indian cargo goes through the Colombo Port. Therefore we should fast track development at the Port of Colombo as well as the South Harbour development project, improve facilities for value added services such as multi-country consolidation and entrepot trade. Director Sathsindu Group of Companies Rohan J. Abeywickrema speaking on the theme " Sethusamudram Canal Is there an Economic and Maritime Value " said the need for the project is to avoid circum navigation of ships sailing from the west to the east coast of India around Sri Lanka, substantial savings in voyage time and fuel consumption and coast guards and naval ships having to develop a transshipment hub in the southern peninsula due to the lack of a navigation channel linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. The major gains of the project for India are shorter navigation route, facilitating coastal movements of domestic cargo and reducing the transshipment cargo. Head of Oceanagraphy Division NARA Dr K. Arulananthan said the possible impact of the project on environment and fisheries are Hydrography and water quality, change in ocean circulation and water exchange, sea level rise, intensification of siltation, erosion and turbidity and hazards on maritime. Therefore a joint environmental impact assessment and a joint monitoring by Sri Lanka and India are necessary to address the environmental concerns of the project . The Sethusamudram canal project was first mooted in 1860 by British Commander A.D. Taylor and has been blowing hot and cold ever after. After India gained independence in 1955 a valiant effort was made by Sri Ramaswamy Mudliyar to get it through and the present effort is another powerful effort by India. But the adopted procedure violates UN law of the sea convention according to sources. Sethusamudram is India's ship canal project, which will channel across Palk Strait within Indian waters. This ship canal is India's long dreamt plan costing about US$560 million. |
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