Colombo Port News

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced its Transpacific service starting from February 2025 which will deploy 16 core weekly services.“The emphasis will be on quality end-to-end direct services with high schedule reliability.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) said it will provide $553 million financing for a Colombo port terminal project, partly owned by India's Adani Group, advancing the first foray by an Indian company into the sector.Sri Lanka, an island off India's southern coast, is mired in its worst financial crisis in over seven decades after its foreign exchange reserves ran to record lows last year, forcing its economy to contract by 7.8% in 2022. Ports-to-edible oils Adani group…

Sri Lanks will invest a sum of US$ 190 million to installs gantry cairns and also add other infrastructure to the East Container Terminal, said Sagala Ratnayaka, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Southern Development.He said Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) would initially invest this amount and then get it reimbursed from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)  under a loan agreement.Ratnayaka said that the passenger terminal in the Colombo Harbour too would be developed. “We want this passenger terminal to be in par with the Singapore Cruse terminal to attract vessels that would pick up and drop passengers in Colombo.”He said…

The three governments of Sri Lanka, Japan and India have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) located in the Colombo South Port."As a hub of the Indian Ocean, the development of Sri Lanka and openness of its ports are of great importance. Colombo Port is the leading Port in the region. This joint project reflects the longstanding good will and cooperation among the three countries," said a joint statement.Japan has provided cooperation for the development of the Jaya Container Terminal since the 1980’s. Around 70% of Colombo Port’s transshipment business is India-related.Sri Lanka…

Shipping group CMA CGM has reinforced its Europe / Indian Ocean & Australia offering by upgrading its NEMO service, which liaises North Europe and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean Islands and Australia on the southbound leg and Australia to southeast Asia and Europe on the northbound leg.This upgraded service will be effective in September 2019 and operated in partnership with MSC, subject to applicable filing requirements.CMA CGM said the new offer will feature an upgraded fleet and provide expanded port coverage through a better utilization of hubs offering dedicated feeder services.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company have announced a new cooperation on the India sub-continent – Mediterranean trade. The new cooperation is due to commence on the second half of October, connecting India and major East Mediterranean ports. A press statement from the company said: "We are pleased to announce a new cooperation, offering a fast and reliable connection between the sub-continent and the Mediterranean."Rani Ben-Yehuda, ZIM’s EVP Cross Suez and Atlantic BU, said: “Our new offering creates an excellent coverage and reliable service between the Indian subcontinent and major East Mediterranean ports…

The Government of Sri Lanka approved loans to develop both the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Harbour and the northern section of the Colombo Port. For the reconstruction of the KKS harbour, a credit line agreement between the Export-Import Bank of India and the Sri Lankan Government was signed. Accordingly, a $ 45.17 million credit line from India will be used to finance the restoration of the KKS Harbour, which is to be transformed into a self-sustainable, commercial harbour. This project is line with the Government’s North-East Economic Corridor concept to develop trade in the northern and eastern ports/harbours. The restoration of the KKS…

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has visited the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Kono was briefed by Sri Lankan government officials about a project under consideration to expand the port. The Japanese Foreign Minister  also visited the newly built control tower and the Colombo Port Expansion Project currently known as the Colombo south Port. Colombo is the largest port in Sri Lanka, which is a strategically important point in Indian Ocean sea lanes. Taro Kono was briefed by the Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake about the project, the consideration to expand the facility and the ‘Three Year Plan’ that has currently been initiated to develop the Port of Colombo. The Japanese government has been involved in building port facilities there for many years.

A new container scanner system has been introduced to the Colombo Port. The installation ceremony was launched by the Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Custom officials. According to the newest initiative four portals of Eagle P60, state of the art scanning units with complete turnkey solution would be installed by the Rapiscan Systems (Pvt) Ltd, an American based leading global supplier of security inspection. It was learnt the Rapiscan Systems (Pvt), the lowest bidder for the tender was awarded the contract by the government under the purview of customs authority. Customs Director General Choolananda Perera said that around 1…

INS Shardul, which was dispatched by Southern Naval Command of India Navy with relief material to Sri Lanka has arrived in Colombo. In the wake of recent floods in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government has asked for flood relief assistance from India. According to ANI report, India dispatched three navy ships to help in the massive rescue and relief operations launched by the island nation's triforces. Earlier on Saturday, Indian High Commissioner to Colombo Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake received the INS Kirch packed with relief items. Apart from the aforementioned two ships, INS Jalashwa carrying victualing, clothing, medicines and water is also expected to soon reach Sri Lanka. The relief material food, water and medicines was offloaded.

Sri Lanka has rejected China's request to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month, two senior government officials said on Thursday as the Indian prime minister landed in the island nation. Sri Lanka last allowed a Chinese submarine to dock in the capital of Colombo in October 2014, a move that triggered fierce opposition from its northern neighbour India, which worries about growing Chinese activity in a country it has long viewed as part of its area of influence. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for a two-day official visit. A senior Sri Lankan government official said China's request to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month had been rejected.

MSC Daniela is docked at Colombo port, Colombo International Container Terminal, ten days after a blaze broke out in the aft section of the 13,800 teu, local media reported. No further information was provided. Earlier, Ceylon Today reported that  the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) Colombo, had received a fire distress call from the local agent of 'MSC Daniela' as the vessel was 120 nautical miles off the Port of Colombo, on Tuesday (April 04). The Panama flagged container ship was sailing from Singapore to Egypt and the fire broke out in the vessel while outside the Colombo Port. Colombo was not meant to be a port of call for the ill-fated vessel, but Colombo, soon was to be a matter of necessity and not a matter of choice.

Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved the awarding of a $180 million deal for three offshore patrol vessels for the country's coast guard to Colombo Dockyard , a government document said on Wednesday. Colombo Dockyard has agreed to arrange a loan for the deal, with 40 percent provided by the Japanese Funding Institution of JBIC, another 40 percent from Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ, and the rest from a tied commercial term loan facility, the document said. Dockyard, located in Colombo port, is Sri Lanka’s largest engineering facility in the business of ship repair, shipbuilding, heavy engineering and offshore engineering. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez)

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has reported a throughput of two million TEUs  for the 12 months ending 31 December 2016, a year-on-year growth of 28 percent in volume, enabling the Port of Colombo to register overall incremental growth during three consecutive years. Announcing the milestone achievement, CICT said ULCCs (Ultra Large Container Carriers) and VLCCs (Very large Container Carriers), many of a size that only the Colombo South Terminal is capable of handling, had contributed 70 percent to the volumes it achieved in 2016. CICT, run by China Merchants Port Holdings,  is the first and currently the only deep water terminal in South Asia equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat.

Container Corporation of India (Concor) has  formed a consortium with APM Terminals B.V., John Keells Holdings and Maersk Line in order to bid for the development of East Container Terminal in Colombo, reports Hindu Business Line. The total project value is likely to be about $550-600 million. The Colombo Port currently has four container terminals. In 2008, a new harbour basin, the Colombo South Harbour was developed to accommodate deep draft vessels and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) decided to develop four new terminals, each with a capacity of 2.4 million TEU’s (twenty-foot container equivalent unit - a measure used in container shipping) to cater to increasing demand.

M. V. Mogens Maersk, one of the world’s largest ships will arrived in Colombo yesterday. To mark the occasion, an on-boarding ceremony is being organized at the CICT Terminal at the Colombo port. Senior officials from the Maersk Group and regional office Maersk line in Sri Lanka along with Sri Lankan port officials and the top importers and exporters will grace the occasion. This state –of-the- art triple-E liner is calling on Colombo for the first time and it’s last port of call is Rotterdam. M. V. Mogens Maersk is part of the AE2 service, under the global 2M alliance between Maersk Line and MSC connecting Asia and Europe. AE2 service will call Colombo Eastbound and carry imports from Europe into Colombo as well as load exports from Colombo to China and Korea.

Container shipper CMA CGM has changed the rotation of its WAX service operated with 13 vessels up to 4,350 TEU on the Asia-West and South Africa trade. As from April 11, 2016 when m/v BERMUDA begins her rotation in Pusan, the Pusan port call will be transferred from WAX 3 onto WAX service. According to CMA CGM, the move will allow it to be the unique carrier on the market offering a broad range of direct services from Korea to Benin, Cameroon and Namibia in addition to the current service to Nigeria and South Africa.

China's CCCC said on Tuesday it had approval to restart the construction of its $1.4 billion real estate project near Colombo's port that was suspended a year ago on the orders of the Sri Lankan government. Sri Lanka's cabinet last week granted approval for China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) to resume the biggest foreign direct investment project in the country after suspending it in March last year. The project includes apartments, shopping malls, a water sports area, a golf course, hotels and marinas next to Colombo's main port which India uses as a main transhipment port. "With the resumption of work now approved, the project company will commence with preparatory work as soon as feasible to ensure that the project can be completed in the expected time frame…

The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said it has adjusted coverage on its South Africa service with the introduction of a weekly direct call at Hazira, in addition to Nhava and Mundra. MSC’s updated India-South Africa service port rotation is as follows: Salalah - Jebel Ali - Bin Qasim - Mundra - Nhava Sheva - HAZIRA - Colombo - Port Louis - Durban - Coega - Salalah. The South Africa service operates with six vessels with vessel capacity of up to 5,400 TEU. The first MSC vessel to call Hazira will be MSC Valencia IZ 611, expected to arrive April 9, 2016.

Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Co SA has expanded the port rotation of its India-South Africa service by introducing a direct call at Hazira, a privately-operated cargo complex on India’s west coast, in an attempt to pick up additional hinterland cargo. Hazira Port, which is about 120 nautical miles north of JNPT, is operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, India’s biggest port infrastructure developer. "MSC would like to inform customers that we have strengthened our coverage on our South Africa service with the introduction of a weekly direct call at Hazira in addition to Nhava and Mundra," says a statement from the company. The South Africa service, operates with six vessels with vessel capacity of up to 5,400 TEU.

The Chinese-built Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), which opened for business in 2014, has made significant gains in container handling last year surpassing 1.5 million TEUs, according to local media. The Terminal has set a record in 2015 with handling 1.561 million TEUs representing 1.57 percent increase over the year before and 67 percent of this volume is from ULCC (Ultra Large Container Carrier) and VLCC (Very large Container Carrier) segments. CICT is the first and currently the only deep water terminal in South Asia equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. "The CICT-run “South Terminal” is making the right kind of waves, raking it in for Colombo port like never before and transforming Sri Lanka into a regional shipping hub," say local newspapers.

Boosting Sri Lanka’s international investment profile, the world’s largest shipper Maersk Line is moving for Sri Lanka entry. The Danish multinational Maersk Line has been the world’s largest container shipping company since 1996. It operates 604 container vessels across the world and calls on 343 ports in 121 countries. New Delhi based Danish Ambassador for Sri Lanka Peter Taksøe-Jensen revealed the Maersk Line's breakthrough entry plans for Sri Lanka when he paid a courtesy call on Sri Lankan Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen. He was joined by the Leading Lankan Businessman and Danish Honorary Consul General in Colombo Harold (Harry) Jayawardena and a visiting New Delhi based Danish embassy official.

Port and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranathunga said he plans to bring the Colombo Port to be among the top 20 global container ports. He said every possible step has been taken to facilitate all employees and staff of the institution to perform their fullest duty towards Sri Lanka Ports Authority without disputes and as same as the previous year. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dammika Ranathunga said the institution is by now acquiring a rapid progress. He said compared to the decrease in TEU operations in 2015, marking Singapore at 8%, Salala 18%, Hamburg 11.7%, the growth of the Port of Colombo was marked at 5.9%. At the same time he said that the domestic operations have increased by 8.3% and transshipment TEU operations by 5.4%.