Minister of Ports and Shipping spearheads ‘Three Year Development Plan’ for SLPA

Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe addressing a session soon after assuming duties as the Minister of Ports and Shipping

Sri Lanka Ports Authority on the advice of Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe, is in the process of preparing a ‘Three Year Development Plan’ to address the current issues of the port sector in keeping with trends of world shipping industry. 

Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake recently appointed Chairman of SLPA will lead the process with the SLPA management team, in consultation with the minister.

In keeping with the aspirations of Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe’s broader vision for the maritime sector of the country to bring the ‘Port sector to its glorious past’, SLPA will take all steps to address the current issues of the port sector. The main objective of ‘Three Year Development Plan’ is to ensure that current revenue of Rs. 44 billion of SLPA is sustained with a double digit growth over the next three years. 

On the instructions of the Minister, the new management of SLPA will take necessary action to implement new strategies to improve the efficiency and productivity of SLPA terminals. SLPA will focus on strategies and opportunities to ensure the development of other ports with innovated business ventures and upgrading of facilities. SLPA has also identified the importance of making maximum utilisation of current human capital and will make necessary improvements for the human resources plan. SLPA has always provided with excellent customer care and will also focus on providing with more facilities to the sector under the Three Year Development Plan. SLPA will definitely consider the views of port users, trade unions and business community when making the strategic plan to sustain a double digit growth over next three years. 

Keeping in mind with global maritime trends, the Minister of Ports and Shipping is embarking on the establishment of the required capacity through the effective mobilisation of resources.

Dr. Dissanayake, during his earlier tenure as the Chairman of SLPA in 2002 to 2004,was instrumental in bringing in numerous reforms to the Ports Sector which propelled the Government own Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) to improve productivity and efficiency to compete with international container terminals and earn the highest confidence of the industry .