South Asia Gateway Terminals ranked #1 for terminal productivity in South Asia

SAGT has been recognised by the Journal of Commerce (JOC) USA in its annual Terminal Productivity Ranking 2014 as being the #1 ranked in South Asia and #4 in the world.

SAGT is the first private container terminal operator in the Port of Colombo commencing in 1999. It consists of four shareholders – John Keells Holdings, APM Terminals, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Peony investments (Evergreen Group subsidiary).

The 14.2m draft, three-berth terminal transformed operational efficiency in the Port of Colombo with an average of 34 moves per hour per crane is now among the world’s best.

With a diversified book of customers the terminal continues to show resilience in the face of increased competition in the port following the commissioning of the South harbour deep draft facilities.

With a potential handling capacity of 2m Teu (achieved 1.9m Teu in 2009), the terminal is rarely far away from a 30% market share in the port of Colombo’s three container terminal operation.

Commenting on the JOC rankings, Ted Muttiah, SAGT’s Chief Commercial Officer, observed: “Team SAGT is very pleased with the recognition by such a reputable independent global organisation. These performance outcomes are the result of careful strategic planning involving the various stakeholders. It is a wonderful endorsement of the hard work, passion and commitment by our people dedicated to being the best. Our customers too, make a significant contribution to these efficiencies in the manner in which vessels are presented for operation.”

“Importantly, this highlights the Port of Colombo’s capacity AND capability to deliver mutually-gainful outcomes to the international trade stakeholders as the mega hub of South Asia,” he added.

The terminal’s clarion call ‘Gain the Advantage with SAGT’ resonates well with this global ranking, the company said in a statement.