SAGT first in Colombo Port to publish Sustainability Report

From left: SAGT Chief Commercial Officer Ted Muttiah, Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman General Daya Ratnayake, Minster of Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena, SAGT Chief Executive Officer Romesh David, SAGT Manager Commercial and Marketing Udara Cumaratunga, and SAGT General Manager Operations Upul Jinadasa

South Asia Gateway Terminals Ltd. (SAGT), Sri Lanka’s first Private Public Partnership (PPP) in the Port of Colombo, launched its first sustainability report under the theme ‘Going Beyond’, outlining the Company’s sustainability performance and initiatives for the financial year 2019/2020.

Since its inception SAGT has been at the forefront of positioning the Port of Colombo as global trade’s pre-eminent gateway to South Asia. The publication of this inaugural report has once again underscored the organisation’s trail-blazing leadership with another ‘first’ for ports and terminals in Sri Lanka and the region by becoming the only maritime terminal in Sri Lanka to be independently audited and certified by globally acclaimed assurance experts DNVGL represented in Sri Lanka by DNVGL Business Assurance Lanka Ltd.

SAGT initiated a comprehensive Sustainability Management Framework in 2018, ensuring the fundamentals of sustainability are integrated into its operations as a core value. SAGT now reports on 30 GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Topic Specific disclosures under 18 Material Topics based on the GRI Standards. Continuous tracking of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relevant to these disclosures, enables leadership at all levels to identify trends, variances and potential risks in key operations and take immediate corrective action where necessary.

In 2019, the organisation further strengthened its commitment to sustainable maritime operations becoming the first member of the World Ocean Council from the Indian sub-continent region. It was also recognised in the 2019 Occupational Health and Safety Excellence Awards organised by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) for its health and safety record.

Commenting on the report, Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said: “Today is yet another milestone in the progress of the Port of Colombo. It is a proud achievement for SAGT as a majority Sri Lankan owned organisation – first in the Port of Colombo. This is another example of Sri Lanka’s ability to adopt global best practice in our offering as the primary hub port in the region.”

On launching the report, SAGT CEO Romesh David stated: “We take our commitment to sustainability and the environment very seriously and continue to integrate sustainable business practices at the heart of all our operations, in keeping with global best practice in the industry.” He went on to say, “Integrating, measuring, tracking and annually publishing independently certified reporting on the definitive steps we take to reduce our impacts on the planet, will set a new benchmark for container terminal operations. We believe this commitment will be a key differentiator that is valued by our global customers, many of whom have themselves committed to making meaningful effort to reduce their impact on the environment.”

SAGT with a design capacity at inception of 1.1 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units) achieved a throughput of more than 2 million TEUs in 2018/19 and 2019/20. The Company handles approximately 30% of the container throughput in the Port of Colombo. The full Sustainability Report is available on the SAGT website at www.sagt.com.lk/about-us/sustainability.