The SLPA official would not name the latest bidders except to say that all the companies which had bid previously had paid the deposit and picked up the RFP.
"We have issued eight documents so far," he said, adding that a 'pre-bid' meeting of interested companies had been called for mid-March.
Other Sri Lankan conglomerates known to be interested in the new port terminal are Hayleys, John Keells Holdings, Carson, and Hemas Holdings.
Bids will be opened by the Cabinet appointed negotiating committee on behalf of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority on May 19.
The new port is urgently needed by the SLPA to ensure that Colombo retains and enhances its position as a transhipment port for cargo in the Indian subcontinent.
The new port is designed to accommodate vessels with an overall length of 400 metres, beam of 55 metres and draft of 16 metres.
Construction of the breakwaters for the new port is underway with funding mainly by the Asian Development Bank.
South Korea's Hyundai