Colombo South Port declared open

The terminals first 400 m long berth is equipped with three super post-Panamax gantry cranes and 10 RTGs, which were delivered in May.

Port Authority sources said that a 12,000 teu container vessel, the biggest boxship ever to call at a Sri Lankan harbour, entered Colombo Port to mark the opening of the first phase of the US$500m Colombo Port Expansion Project.

Further building work continues and it is expected that by the end of April 2014 the full 1,200 m long container terminal, with a water depth alongside of 18 m, will provide the port with an additional annual throughput capacity of 2.4m teu.Discussions between CICT and potential shipping line customers are said to be well advanced. CICT will have a significant competitive advantage as the only terminal in the Indian subcontinent region able to handle 18,000 teu container vessels.