Latest omission of Colombo Port sparks fear among exporters
Exporters are yet again faced with challenges as operational delays in the Port of Colombo have resulted in vessels omitting the Port of Colombo and going on to ports in India where their cargo is unloaded with minimal delay.
These last-minute omissions by lines at Colombo leave exporters with no options, as the cargo destined for Colombo could be as late as two weeks from the original date.
Last week, the vessel operator ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., ship MV Shanghai 018W, which was due in Colombo on 14 September, advised its Sri Lankan clients that the vessel will omit Colombo and go on to India, only to return to Colombo 10 days later.
The issue at Colombo comes from terminal yards being full as a result of a lack of Inter-Terminal Transport (ITT), which is used to carry transshipment cargo between terminals.
Sources said part of the challenge for Sri Lanka is that Colombo has a number of different terminals and transhipped cargo (which forms the lion’s share of the volume that goes through Sri Lanka) often needs to move between terminals. This transport is referred to as ITT, and is done using conventional prime movers. Newer ports, such as Vizhinjam, which is a single-basin port, offer much quicker turnaround for vessels and this will threaten Sri Lanka’s position as a transshipment port.
“Sri Lanka’s challenge is to get the two new terminals – West Container Terminal (WCT) and East Container Terminal (ECT) – up and running as soon as possible, whilst building a secure and efficient ITT facility to move cargo between terminals,” sources emphasised.
In the meantime, exporters will continue to face challenges like the latest omission, leaving exporters stuck without vital raw material to meet export orders.
Despite exporters’ concern, Colombo Port sources said in the first seven months of this year, throughput has increased by 4% to 4.7 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
