HIPG CEO Johnson Liu and Siam City Cement (Lanka) Limited CEO/Chairman Nandana Ekanayake sign agreement

An agreement was signed between Siam City Cement (Lanka) Limited (INSEE Cement) and Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) for the construction of the largest warehouse facility in Sri Lanka for dry bulk cargo inside a port. 

The warehouse, which will store raw materials used in the production of cement, will have a capacity of 45,000m3. It will be built on an area of 17,300m2, in the Hambantota Port Industrial Park. The warehouse will enable INSEE to improve the efficiency of cargo discharging operations and further enhance its vessel turnaround time, which will save forex for the company as well as the country. 

“The warehouse project will tremendously contribute to increase the supply chain efficiency. It is an investment that will accelerate operational effectiveness. INSEE is the first bulk cargo customer of the port since the port’s inception and the largest volume contributor. It is a win-win collaboration between INSEE and HIP,” said INSEE Cement General Manager Supply Chain Yasas Kasthuriarachchi.

INSEE, which has worked with HIP since 2018, was the port’s first customer for dry bulk cargo, enabling the port to handle a volume of over one million metric tonnes for them last year.

“INSEE Cement has partnered with HIP to increase its volumes because of the high-quality service we provide. Our services have helped to streamline its local supply chain,” said HIPG CEO Johnson Liu. 

“Due to the deep draft of the port, INSEE is able to handle bigger cargo parcels enabling the economies of scale advantage. The experienced HIP team with efficient cargo operations provides INSEE with a service that is on par with any top-level port in the world. We have helped them achieve higher productivity, which is the key for any port user,” said HIPG COO Tissa Wickramasinghe.