Colombo International Container Terminals throughput up to 1.561 million TEUs in 2015
CICT, region’s only deep water terminal, attracts largest vessels plying the East- West route; contributes a third of Colombo Port’s throughput
Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd. (CICT) has set another milestone by closing 2015 with 1.561 million teus, with the ULCC (Ultra Large Container Carrier) and VLCC (Very large Container Carrier) segments making a 67% contribution to this volume.
CICT is the first and currently the only deep water terminal in South Asia equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels. The Port of Colombo ended 2015 with an impressive 5.185 million teus, an overall growth of 5.7% over 2014 volumes while some other transhipment ports in the region recorded negative growth.
CICT CEO, Nelson Liu stated that this record achievement was made possible due to the excellent port support auxiliary services provided by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Customs and Sri Lanka Navy, which play a very critical but subtle role in the operations of the Port. The trust of customers and the support of other stakeholders within the industry also contributed to CICT’s success, he said.
As a member of China Merchants Holdings International Company Limited (CMHI), the world’s second largest global terminal operator by throughput, which was awarded theTerminal Operator of the Year for 2015 by Lloyds in London, CICT has access to a wide network of 72 terminals operated and invested by CMHI across the globe, none of which are in any form of competition with the Port of Colombo. This is a unique advantage to boost the status and recognition of the Port of Colombo as a common user transhipment hub.
This year, CICT will launch a US$ 10 million programmeas, part of a larger investment on an initiative to introduce the ‘Green Port’ concept in the Port of Colombo, by converting the full fleet of the company’s diesel operated rubber-tyred-gantry cranes to electricity driven rubber-tyred gantry cranes (E-RTGs).
The E-RTGs will have zero carbon emissions and reflect CICT’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Port of Colombo and the maritime industry as a whole. CICT is committed to giving the Port of Colombo the support it needs to be the region’s Green Port, the company said.