Dikkowita fisheries harbour, biggest in South Asia

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Dikkowita fisheries harbour which President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened last Friday is the biggest in the South Asian region. It has the facility to process 150 metric tonnes of fish and export them directly to buyers from the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Rajitha Senaratne told the Sunday Observer.

Conveyor belts in the harbour carry the fish harvest directly from ships to the cool rooms and subsequently to the processing units, he said. The harbour can accommodate 490 vessels – 350 local and 140 foreign vessels.

The harbour has been constructed at a cost of Euro 53 million, Euro 08 million as the Sri Lankan Government contribution, Euro 33.7 million as loans and Euro 11.3 million as a grant from the Government of the Netherlands.

The project contractors and consultants are also from the Netherlands, the Minister said.