Honourable Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Minister of Ports and Shipping visited Port of Colombo to inspect the operations
Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Minister of Ports and Shipping said that the Port of Colombo has an immense responsibility as the main economic operational centre of the country and will continue to fulfil those responsibilities. He said this while participating in a special inspection tour at Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) today, 19.11.2020.
He further said that the global economic situation has deteriorated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which also caused a slowdown in container operations at the Port of Colombo. He stressed that all arrangements have already implemented to avoid difficulties. “We have managed to restore container operations as it was before,” the Minister said.
The Minister further reiterated the fact that on the instructions of His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, the Port services declared as an essential service through a Gazette Notification. He also thanked the Management, all Executive Officers, staffs, employees and port trade union representatives who are committed to keeping the port active 24 hours a day and continuing its operations and service delivery efficiency.
The Minister further stated that all the service facilities at the Port of Colombo including its general operations and conventional cargo operations are continuously being maintained properly, as the main gateway in delivering all the essential commodities for the people and their industries without any delay.
“In order to keep Sri Lankan agriculture afloat, 21 ships of fertilizer arrived at the Port of Colombo recently. Subsequently, all necessary steps have been taken to distribute essential imported commodities such as sugar and fertilizer in the country without any shortage,” the Minister asserted.
