Strong interest in Sri Lanka’s CICT terminal

“There is strong interest from shipping lines in this deepwater terminal because the trend is towards mega vessels with a capacity of more than 10,000 teu, said CICT’s chief executive Yunshu Liu.

The first 360 m berth will open on July 1, 2013 followed by a further 240 m by the end of this year and a further 600 m will be operational by April 2014, at which point the full 1,200 m long container terminal, with a water depth alongside of 18 m, will provide an annual throughput capacity of 2.2m teu.

CICT which is 85% owned by Hong Kong listed CMHI, a Chinese state run firm and 15% by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), is the first of three terminals to be built in Colombo’s South Harbour expansion project.