Category: Shipping and Transport

Sept 26, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is planning to revamp the Central Freight Bureau, a state agency that at the time controlled the shipping business, into a research body, officials said. The new organization hopes to provide research material of commercial value to the shipping community. Ranjith de Silva, additional secretary to the Ministry […]

Sept 26, 2007 (LBO) – Several fishing vessels chased and tried to board a yacht off southern Sri Lanka in a rare attempted incident of piracy, according to a report from a piracy watchdog. The yatch, whose identity was not revealed, was enroute from the Maldives to Malaysia. The yacht managed to evade the attempted […]

Sept 20, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ship owners have warned that an unresolved dispute with Customs over a tax on vessels could force them to leave the Sri Lanka flag of registry. This could hurt the island’s prospects of building up its merchant fleet and encouraging foreign owners to register their vessels in the […]

Sept 14, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s top law official has begun probing a complaint of anti-competitive practices against one of the main bidders to build and operate a container terminal in the planned new deep-draft port next to Colombo, officials said. Hyundai Engineering Construction of Korea made the lowest bid at 36 billion rupees […]

NEW DELHI, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) – India’s government said Friday it was putting on hold its bid to dredge a crucial shipping lane after being accused of blasphemy by Hindu activists who argue the project will damage a sacred site. The government denied the existence of a Hindu god to justify the project, which […]

NEW DELHI, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) – Thousands of right-wing Hindus launched protests across India Wednesday against a plan to create a sea lane which they say would destroy the links between a revered string of islands. The half-billion-dollar project would allow ships to travel around the southern tip of India without having to skirt […]

Sept 11, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Mercantile Shipping Company, a ship owner listed on the Colombo bourse, has said higher ship charter rates and chartering of vessels to the government have helped it turn around. The company, whose small fleet was once the island’s biggest, made a net profit of 58 million rupees for […]

Sept 11, 2007 (LBO) – Residents in Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsular are moving beyond basic needs and are now looking for inputs to revive livelihoods, the top official in charge of supplying the area said Tuesday. S.B. Divaratne, Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES), said regular shipments by sea to Jaffna had ensured the […]

August 28, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan security authorities plan to re-open Colombo port’s northern entrance for navigation once underwater defence systems being tested are installed and activated. The planned re-opening will remove a key constraint that has caused lengthy delays for cargo ships and raised costs for both shipping lines and port terminals. The […]

August 18, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s eastern port of Trincomalee is to be developed as an eco-port with the emphasis on exploiting its value as a marine habitat, an official said. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said Trincomalee will not be developed for industrial activity or to handle containers. This is […]

August 16, 2007 (LBO) – Colombo port has sent dock worker union leaders to study practices in a modern Chinese port and has now won their support for better work norms, a top official said. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said relations between port management and workers was now better than last […]

August 13, 2007 (LBO) – Congestion in Asian ports like Colombo is affecting cargo flows to the United States and ship schedules with the squeeze expected to continue into the next year, a body representing major shipping lines has said. Forward bookings suggest that the trend will continue into August, and retailers forecasts record eastbound […]