Magampura Port to be commissioned tomorrow

Arrangements have been made for people to witness the arrival of the first ship to the Magampura Port on 18 November with President Mahinda Rajapaksa scheduled to be the chief guest at the event.

The first ship that will enter the Magampura harbour on Thursday morning amidst chanting of Pirith by 254 members of the Maha Sangha who will be on board the vessel “Jetliner”, which will be followed by a sailing ship and a Sri Lankan cargo ship. The sailing ship will symbolise the proud maritime history of the country while the cargo ship will showcase the commencement of industrial and commercial activities of the harbour, Sri Lanka Ports Authority said.

The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrema said, the functioning of the first stage of the Harbour will commence on Thursday. He said that the Magampura port has become an active port in the country and already 27 investors have come forward to start projects related to the port.  He further said that in its first stage, the port would provide direct employment to 10,000 persons and over 60 thousand indirect employment opportunities.