Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka to launch new map in March

Sri Lanka will launch a new map by March following changes made to Sri Lanka’s shoreline due to projects such as the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka, the Survey Department said on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

P.M.P Udayakantha, Surveyor General from the Sri Lanka Survey Department, told Xinhua that the Survey Department had finished the compilation of the new map series of the island country following developmental changes made within the past five years.

He said the...

https://container-news.com/sri-lanka-to-launch-new-map-in-march/

Sri Lanka wavers between liberalising shipping or not

Sri Lanka’s government has not yet decided on a budget proposal to liberalise the shipping sector by removing foreign ownership limits on ship agency and freight forwarding businesses, Minister of Ports &Shipping Sagala Ratnayaka said.

“Liberalisation is good as it will improve competition but I have to be convinced it won’t harm local industry,” he told a news conference.

“I’m responsible to ensure the people of Sri Lanka get the best deal,” Ratnayaka said.

He said government decisions may change...

https://container-news.com/sri-lanka-wavers-between-liberalising-shipping-not/

Colombo Dockyard to build pilot launches for SLPA

Colombo Dockyard has entered into a contract with Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to supply two pilot launches.

The 19m launches will be built to a proven design developed by MacDuff of Scotland and will be used to transport pilots from shore to ship and vice versa. The launches will each be able to accommodate a total of eight persons, including four crew members and four pilots. Capable of a service speed of around 22 knots they will be able to operate year round in Sri Lankan port waters,...

https://www.themaritimestandard.com/colombo-dockyard-to-build-pilot-launches-for-slpa/

Sri Lanka strike left 6K boxes stranded

Sri Lankan customs officers on Tuesday, Feb. 6,  called off a strike that left 6,000 containers stranded at the country’s main port and put pressure on food prices, after the government agreed to reinstate their boss for three months.

The strike by thousands of officials began a week ago in protest at the sacking of Director General P.S.M. Charles, who authorities blamed for a drop in customs revenue last year.

It was not immediately clear how long the backlog of containers would take to clear...

http://container-news.com/sri-lanka-port-strike-containers-stranded/

New Sri Lanka facilities to support exporters

Sri Lanka’s investment agency has approved a project to build a warehouse and container depot near the Biyagama export processing zone to help exporters bring raw materials and machinery and ship outbound finished products.

The project by Skylift Container Depot and Logistics (Private) Limited, with a total value of 1.83 million US dollars will be located at Walgama, Malwana and employ 49 people, the Board of Investment said.

“We have considerable experience in handling of logistics and container...

http://container-news.com/sri-lanka-facilities-help-exporters/

Two shipbuilding projects get underway in Colombo

Colombo Dockyard recently celebrated the keel laying of two vessels, a 60m buoy tender and 50m twin hull catamaran type pilot station craft, for the General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI). Both contracts were secured through The Toyota Tsushima Corporation (TTC) of Japan.

TTC and GCPI signed the original contract for this important shipbuilding project in Dubai in April this year, with Colombo Dockyard being confirmed as the chosen shipyard in May. Since then, the development of the basic and...

https://www.themaritimestandard.com/two-shipbuilding-projects-get-underway-colombo/

Sri Lanka’s Sept exports up 4.4%

Sri Lanka’s exports grew 4.4 percent in September 2018 to 1,055 million US dollars from a year ago, exceeding a billion dollars for the fourth straight month, but the trade gap widened as import spending rose faster.

The central bank said spending on merchandise imports increased by 6.1percent to 1,768 million dollars in September 2018 from a year ago mainly due to high expenditure incurred on fuel and personal vehicle imports.

Earnings from industrial exports, which account for 77 percent of the...

http://container-news.com/sri-lanka-sept-exports-up/

Sri Lanka deals with China for port upgrade

Sri Lanka penned two multi-million dollar contracts with Chinese firms for a port upgrade project on Thursday (Nov. 29) in the middle of a political hiatus that has raised doubts over the legitimacy of the government and the legality of the deals.

The debt-saddled island has long been a target of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road infrastructure scheme to connect China with countries cross Asia and beyond, while regional power India has also been vying for deals to counter China’s influence.

But a...

http://container-news.com/sri-lanka-china-port-upgrade/

China-India struggle for investments

Gleaming cranes stretch out on the waterfront in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as Chinese companies construct a $1.5 billion new commercial district, including hotels, marinas and a motor racing track. They have already built a giant container terminal nearby and a huge port in the south.

Now India, the traditional power in the region, is muscling into port and other projects, pushing back hard against China.

The big fear for India is that Sri Lanka, just off its southern coast and on one of the...

http://container-news.com/china-india-struggle-investements/

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