Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and other dignitaries attending the foundation stone laying ceremony

Sri Lanka plans to increase TEU handling capacity of the Colombo Port to 35 million TEUs from the current 8.5 million TEUs with the completion of East Container Terminal, Jaya Container Terminal V (JCT-V), Western International Container Terminal (WICT) and the proposed North Port projects in the future.
This was disclosed by Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva during an event held yesterday to mark the initiation of the construction work of the operations building of the ECT of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). The construction of the four-story main operations building at the terminal will cost Rs.1.3 billion and is planned to be completed by February next year.

The 1300-metre terminal will be built at a cost of US$ 580 million. The gantry cranes required for operations at the terminal have been already ordered. 
“It is my wish that SLPA officials, employees, and trade union representatives should contribute and help carry out the construction work of the ECT according to a proper and accurate timeline,” the Minister said.
Commenting further, he emphasised that the operations of the ECT should be carried out with semi-automation and with a minimum number of employees recruited for its operations.
“These opportunities should be made available to the skilled youth of this country.  They should have the potential to achieve maximum productivity through elevated efficiency in the operational process, especially by utilising the most advanced technologies for port and terminal operations. 
For this reason, everyone should well-identify the latest trends in the global commercial shipping industry, which runs in a very lucrative yet highly competitive business environment,” he added. Additional Secretary (Development) to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Kumari Somarathna, SLPA Chairman Keith D. Bernard, Vice Chairman Gayan Algewattage, Managing Director Prabath J. Malavige, Additional Managing Directors, Directors, Heads of Divisions, Executive Officers, staffs, employees, and trade union representatives also attended the occasion.