Colombo port's state-owned container terminal plans to add more berths for feeder vessels in an effort to improve productivity and reduce congestion caused by growing cargo flows and tighter security.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will introduce four new feeder berths for the smaller container vessels that call at the harbour from ports in the region from where cargo is transshipped through Colombo.
SLPA chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said in an interview they were working on ways to handle the congestion and cater to increasing amounts of cargo until the planned new mega-port, the South Port of Colombo, is ready.
This was part of the port's effort to overcome delays caused by increasing cargo volumes and restrictions on navigation imposed for security reasons.
Colombo now has four deep water berths at the state-run Jaya Container Terminal, three deep water berths at the privatized South Asia Gateway Terminals and two feeder berths at the Unity Container Terminal.
These berths are equipped with pier-side gantry cranes to load and unload containers from ships.
The SLPA will use a combination of mobile cranes and top lifters to handle cargo at the planned new berths, Wickramasuriya said.
Feeder ships are used to transship containers from the bigger mother ships in the 'hub and spoke' system of container trade.
It is not economical for the mother ships to call at smaller regional ports, which also lack the depth to take in big ships.
Colombo as a transshipment hub for the south Asian region handles container cargo to and from feeder ports in the sub-continent.
Wickramasuriya said the plan calls for turning some of the port's general cargo berths into ones that can handle container vessels of the feeder operators who serve the region.
This would free up the deep-water berths for the bigger ships of main line operators.
Currently, Colombo port's northern entrance is closed to protect it against Tamil Tiger attacks.
This means the port has only one channel for vessel navigation, causing traffic jams where ships have to wait a long time to enter or leave the harbour.
The navigational delays means higher costs for both vessel operators as well as port terminal operators owing to the idle time.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will introduce four new feeder berths for the smaller container vessels that call at the harbour from ports in the region from where cargo is transshipped through Colombo.
SLPA chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said in an interview they were working on ways to handle the congestion and cater to increasing amounts of cargo until the planned new mega-port, the South Port of Colombo, is ready.
This was part of the port's effort to overcome delays caused by increasing cargo volumes and restrictions on navigation imposed for security reasons.
Colombo now has four deep water berths at the state-run Jaya Container Terminal, three deep water berths at the privatized South Asia Gateway Terminals and two feeder berths at the Unity Container Terminal.
These berths are equipped with pier-side gantry cranes to load and unload containers from ships.
The SLPA will use a combination of mobile cranes and top lifters to handle cargo at the planned new berths, Wickramasuriya said.
Feeder ships are used to transship containers from the bigger mother ships in the 'hub and spoke' system of container trade.
It is not economical for the mother ships to call at smaller regional ports, which also lack the depth to take in big ships.
Colombo as a transshipment hub for the south Asian region handles container cargo to and from feeder ports in the sub-continent.
Wickramasuriya said the plan calls for turning some of the port's general cargo berths into ones that can handle container vessels of the feeder operators who serve the region.
This would free up the deep-water berths for the bigger ships of main line operators.
Currently, Colombo port's northern entrance is closed to protect it against Tamil Tiger attacks.
This means the port has only one channel for vessel navigation, causing traffic jams where ships have to wait a long time to enter or leave the harbour.
The navigational delays means higher costs for both vessel operators as well as port terminal operators owing to the idle time.