SAGT celebrates 21 years of maritime excellence

South Asia Gateway Terminals Ltd. (SAGT), Sri Lanka’s first Private Public Partnership (PPP), a flagship venture of the Board of Investment (BOI), celebrated 21 years of maritime excellence on 5 September in Port of Colombo.

SAGT commenced operations in 1999 as a Public Private Partnership project to develop a container terminal in Sri Lanka under a 30-year BOT concession, taking over operations at the Queen Elizabeth Quay of Port of Colombo.

Along its 21-year journey, SAGT has consistently raised the bar to achieve new benchmarks, securing several global and regional awards in recognition of its operational high-performance, productivity and efficiency. In 2018, SAGT achieved an impressive 2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units) in a calendar-year for the first time in its history which is particularly significant considering the terminal’s original design capacity was assessed at just 1.1m TEU.

With the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm, 2020 was a challenging year for the international maritime industry especially with consumption of goods and services around the world plummeting significantly. Amidst the country wide lockdown and directives for social distancing imposed in Sri Lanka, SAGT along with the Port of Colombo rose to the occasion to serve nations and communities far beyond our mother land. SAGT’s COVID-19 response involved initiatives to introduce enhanced health and safety procedures with stringent monitoring of the wellbeing of our staff members and other key stakeholders. The implementation of a state-of-the-art visitor management system and the introduction of an e-clearance delivery advise (e-DA) process via email.

Whilst adapting to the new normal, SAGT has embraced digitalisation collaborating with TradeLens, a Blockchain-powered data platform aimed at improving operational efficiency through the tracking of containers across multiple modes. The launch of the payment gateway for e-clearance of import containers to offer convenient and hassle-free services to SAGT customers was a further initiative to enhance the “ease of doing business” experience.Addressing Team SAGT, Chief Executive Officer Romesh David said: “2020 has been a challenging year for industries across the globe. However, innovation, teamwork and determination has allowed us to overcome the challenges, reinvent processes and embrace the new normal. We greatly appreciate the support extended to us over the years by all our stakeholders and will aim to enhance our services for the betterment of our all our stakeholders.”

South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) is the first Public Private Partnership container terminal in Sri Lanka (with approximately 60% Sri Lankan shareholding) and commenced operations in 1999, launching the Port of Colombo as global trade’s preeminent gateway hub to South Asia. Today, the terminal is one of three operators in the Port of Colombo and continues to offer the international container shipping community a competitive best in class service. SAGT is a Board of Investment flagship company whose shareholders include – John Keells Holdings, Maersk/APM Terminals, SLPA and Evergreen Marine Corporation.