Tank farm to service Indian Ocean
traffic
By Shirajiv Sirimane
The tank farm project and administrative
building at Hambantota Port would be some of the key features of the
Hambantota Port development project.
The bunkering facility and tank farm project will consist of 14 tanks
that will offer a total capacity of 80,000mt. Eight tanks will be used
for bunkering while the other six will be utilised, three each, for
aviation fuel and as LPG tanks. The project will cost US$ 76,581,774 and
China Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation Works would be the
contractor.
The tank farm will include two 10,000 mt tanks, which will hold a
combined 20,000 mt of aviation fuel and three tanks to store 7,000 mt of
LPG. The rest of the tank farm will include tanks of various sizes,
which will hold a total of over 55,000 mt of bunker fuel.
Currently, the only onshore bunker fuel terminal in the country, at
Port Colombo, consists of 12 tanks that can hold a combined 33,000 mt of
bunker fuel. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has allocated the
storage space equally among the island nation's eight licensed bunker
suppliers.
The facilities will be constructed enabling independent operations,
with separate loading arms and pipeline system which connects the oil
and gas jetty. The construction of the jetties has already commenced
under the Hambantota Port Project.
The developments in the harbour system augurs well for the country's
international trade in the future.
The Hambantota Port will initially provide refuelling and bunkering
services for the ships crossing the busy sea route just a few nautical
miles South of Sri Lanka.
There would be many opportunities to develop various port-centred
businesses including shipbuilding, ship repairing and bunkering.
The 15-level administrative building being built at the site for the
Hambantota Port includes a rooftop and would be the Southern Provinces
tallest building.
This
engineering marvel designed by Tanya and Suren Wickremasinghe Architects
will have a floor area of 75,000sq ft and a height of 200ft.
Being a mega development project implemented in Sri Lanka, the
Hambantota Port Development Project is fully supervised and inspected by
the engineers of the SLPA, enabling the SLPA to make huge savings that
would have been spent if the project had been handed over to foreign
experts for supervision and inspection.
The project has been implemented with a total construction cost of
US$ 360 million of which 85 percent will be granted by the Ex-Im Bank of
China. The balance will be invested by the SLPA.
Hambantota is the nearest point to the main shipping route that
connects the East and West.
As the Port of Colombo is reaching its maximum capacity for all types
of cargo including bulk, break bulk, roro, oil and gas and container,
another suitable and efficient port with all facilities is needed to
cater to the increasing demand for maritime transportation and customer
services.
The availability of land and less restrictions in the planning
therefore, have enabled the Hambantota Port Project to be built as an
internal port which is more cost effective than offshore constructions.
Due to the natural depth along the coastline, there exists no need
for a lengthier approach channel. The land in the area also stands
suitable for a number of port-related industries and services.
The Hambantota Port Development Project will be constructed
especially enabling the handling of 100,000DWT vessels. It will have an
approach channel 210 metres wide and 17 metres deep. |