Colombo : Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) said it was buying more cranes that will enhance deep water capacity and enable Sri Lanka’s Colombo port to handle the biggest container ships afloat.
A statement said the capacity enhancement by March 2019 would make Colombo “one of the few ports in Asia capable of handling vessels of 22,000 + TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units).”
CICT plans to buy two new mega Quay Gantry Cranes (QGCs), six new Rubber-tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) and 12 Prime Movers.
CICT’s existing QGCs are the biggest gantry cranes in the Indian Subcontinent region.
“The addition of two even larger twin-lift QGCs from Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC), a global leader in quayside container cranes, will further strengthen the Port of Colombo’s hub status,” the company said.
The new equipment will increase capacity by 13 per cent.
“This improvement of capacity and upgrade of facilities at a time of global economic uncertainty is an emphatic demonstration of our commitment to the Port of Colombo, and reflects how serious we are about continuing to be the major contributor to the port’s bid to be a major transhipment hub,” CICT chief executive Jack Huang said.
“Demand for deep water facilities is increasing at a rapid pace and requires the quick response that only CICT is able to provide.”
Huang added that besides enabling the port to attract larger vessels, this addition will generate more capacity and berthing space by turning ships around faster.
The company is managed by CMPort, the world’s second largest terminal operator, through which it has access to a wide network of 34 ports across the globe.
