The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku - Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chair.

¶ 02 We are debating three Bills, including one essential to the maritime sector and the Container Depot Operators Licensing Bill to regulate and supervise depot operations and related matters.

¶ 03 Sri Lanka Ports Authority, particularly the Port of Colombo, has performed strongly: for the first time, we surpassed 8 million TEUs last year. We aim to add substantial capacity this year by bringing both West Container Terminal (WCT) and East Container Terminal (ECT) into fuller operation, each adding around 3 million TEUs, taking total capacity towards 14 million TEUs. JCT’s yard capacity is being raised by another 0.5 million TEUs, bringing total capacity near 15 million TEUs by year-end. While it took 40 years to reach 8 million TEUs, we plan to absorb an additional 6.5 million TEUs in the coming years, requiring efficiency both inside and outside the port.

¶ 04 Regarding ECT, physical progress was only 30–35 percent when we took office in late 2024, but we accelerated it. Despite some procurement deficiencies causing delays, the quay and yard are in two parts; the yard has 20 lanes, of which 10 are completed and 5 tested. We intend to commence operations this month.