Big demand to start commercial projects at Magampura

With the completion of water filling at Magampura Port, more investors have expressed interest to set up commercial projects at the port. Out of 63 foreign and local investors who accepted documentation in this regard, 27 investors have currently bid to commence business ventures at Magampura Port.

Upon the requests of the investors to allow them more time to submit the requests for proposals for commercial projects at the port, the deadline set to accept project proposals was extended up to  15 October 2010 by the Project Committee.

Out of the 27 investors who had already expressed interest to commence projects, six investors have bid for cement industry while two have expressed for vehicle assembling and another two for gas. The Project Committee has received proposals from three investors for warehousing, two for petro-chemicals and one each for sugar refinery, fertiliser and canning.  Meanwhile other proposals have also been brought out to commence various relevant industries of importance and all investors have been identified to be from reputed and leading business ventures and entrepreneurship in and out of the country. The Project Committee expects to complete the evaluation process shortly and within the total land area of 2000 hectares belonging to the Magampura Port space will be allocated for local and international entrepreneurs to implement and carry-out their industries under special facilities and benefits.  

The Magampura Port is a milestone socio-economic development project in Sri Lanka activated by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. At present, it is being developed as a multi-purpose, industrial and service port under the socio-economic development process of Sri Lanka under the leadership of   President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the fullest support of the present Government.  Hence, the construction of the project has been fast tracked to reach a speedier completion of phase one under supervision of the Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA)

Dr. P.B.Wickrama. This has been done with the aim of making the best of the expanding markets of the Indian sub-continent with the facility of short transit times to India, Africa and the Gulf Region, once the port reaches fullest implementation of its operations.

As phase I of the project is being fast tracked, plans have already been drawn to commence phase II during the last quarter of this year. The contract agreement in this regard was recently signed between the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd; and SLPA. The financial assistance in this regard would be extended by the Government of the People’s Republic of China on a concessionary basis.

Under phase II of the project,  basin excavation will be done  up to minus  17 metres with a turning circle of  600 metre diameter while the approach channel will be dredged up to 18 metres. A quay wall with a length of 2140 metres for 6 berths, two oil terminals with a depth of minus 17 metres and a length of 300 metres, an artificial island of 50 hectares with a top elevation of 8 metres, a fly-over bridge and roads and yards facilities will also be constructed. The constructions of phase II will further include, the provision of all yard handling equipment and development of a yard area of 60 hectares adjacent to the quay wall. With the development of the project, Magampura will be developed as a container port with a berthing capacity for 33 large ships with a total quay length of nearly 10km.

The Magampura port is to be further developed with a view to making Magampura the second capital of Sri Lanka.

Lanka-India ferry service soon

Sri Lanka and India have agreed on a draft agreement to resume ferry services between the two countries which were disrupted by terrorism.

The agreement has been reached following a visit to Sri Lanka by a delegation led by K. Mohandas, Secretary to India’s Ministry of Shipping last week for talks with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Ports on passenger transportation by sea between the two countries.

The MoU would be signed by the two countries after the necessary internal processes are completed, following which ferry services between Colombo and Tuticorin and Talaimannar and Rameswaram will become operational.

A ferry service operated between Talaimannar on Sri Lanka’s north-west coast and Rameshwaram in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu before the war against terrorism. Vanquishing terrorism has paved the way for the resumption of the ferry service as well as a new service between Colombo port and the port of Tuticorin in South India.