Bangladeshi feeder ships are going to get a preferential anchor facility at Jaya Container Terminal owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. Bangladesh has been trying for a long time to get this priority anchor facility. Finally, Prashantha Jayamanna, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Port Authority, made the announcement. This information has been given in a press release from Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo.
It was informed that on the occasion of the first Economic Diplomatic Week, the Bangladesh Embassy in Colombo organised a consultative meeting on increasing maritime communication between Chittagong and Colombo Port late last month. The purpose of the forum was to increase understanding of the overall shipping issues between the two seaports and to further consolidate the partnership between the two ports. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Port authorities, terminal operators, mainline operators, freight forwarders, and other concerned service providers and port users such as representatives of garment export organisations presented their views at the forum.
Prashantha Jayamanna, Chairman of Sri Lanka Port Authority, explained the existing facilities and ongoing development, and future plans of the Colombo port. If these plans are implemented between 2025-26, the Colombo seaport will have the capacity to handle about 1 crore and 50 lac containers a year.
Prashantha further mentioned that it has been decided to provide a priority anchor facility for Bangladeshi feeder vessels at the Jaya Container Terminal owned by the Government of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Port Authority, the private terminal operators, and the concerned service providers have assured Bangladesh of continued priority. Referring to the recent negative publicity about the Colombo port in the media, they said that despite the crisis in Sri Lanka, the management of the Colombo port did not face any problems. In this case, both sides attached special importance to the constant communication between the people involved in the shipping sector.
Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tareq Md. Ariful Islam explained the significant economic development of Bangladesh in his welcome address.
