Category: Shipping and Transport

May 01, 2007 (LBO) – A trimming of services to Sri Lanka by major international carriers is undermining Colombo’s aspirations to be a regional aviation hub, in addition to hitting the island’s tourist industry. Sri Lanka now has to buy expensive defensive equipment at a cost that is totally disproportionate to the size of the […]

May 01, 2007 (LBO) – Chamath Champika Jayalath was watching the Sri Lanka-Australia Cricket World Cup final shortly after 1.00 am Sunday when suddenly power supply went off. Waiting for power to come back, Jayalath was startled by the sound of explosions and heavy gunfire. Rushing out, he saw tracer bullets streaming into the night […]

April 30, 2007 (LBO) – Singapore Airlines has stopped night flights to Colombo, the airline said Monday, after the third incident involving Tamil Tiger aircraft and anti-aircraft fire from an air base adjoining the main airport. “Singapore Airlines wishes to inform all its customers and the traveling public that following a security review, effective from […]

April 30, (LBO) – Emirates Airlines said Monday flights to Colombo will remain suspended after a security review, following Tamil Tiger rebel air raids. The Katunayake airbase itself was bombed on March 26 in the rebels’ first air strike. The airline, which manages and partly owns SriLankan, the island’s national carrier, suspended flights along with […]

April 20, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tiny shipping industry has begun talks with the Customs authorities to clear a dispute over the payment of a tax on their vessels, an official said. Shipping analysts say taxing local owners could make them less competitive in international waters where their vessels trade and prompt them to […]

April 19, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan exporters are faced with a shortage of space on container ships for their shipments to Europe after several shipping lines diverted some of their services to India, an official said. The crisis is affecting exports of garments, tea and coir, Jayanath Perera, chairman of the Sri Lanka Shipper’s […]

April 19, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan exporters Thursday called for government intervention to prevent shipping lines imposing additional charges that were making exports uncompetitive and imports more expensive. Big buyers in the US negotiate freight rates with shipping lines for large volumes of cargo from different regions, such as south Asia where they might […]

April 19, 2007 (LBO) – Laugfs Holdings said Thursday it had signed an agreement with the government of Sri Lanka that gave it permission to import and market lubricants in the island. Laugfs group holds 30 percent market share for domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas and around 55 percent for industrial bulk demand. The local market […]

April 12, 2007 (LBO) – MTD Construction Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian construction firm that bought a Sri Lankan listed company last week, is eyeing a big highway construction project planned in the island, an official said. The company is already in “advanced talks” with the government on building the Kandy-Colombo highway, said Asanga Seneviratne, from […]

April 11, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan brewer whose truck was involved in a fatal bus-truck crash on Tuesday, is offering cash to accident victims, an official said Wednesday.Local brewer, Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd, is offering to pay 125,000 rupees (1,200 dollars) to relatives for each of the victims who died, while those who […]

INDURUWA, Sri Lanka, April 10, 2007 (AFP) – At least 22 people were killed and 57 others injured Tuesday when a crowded bus and a truck loaded with beer collided in southern Sri Lanka, police and doctors said.The accident came amid tight security at bus stations following fears of bomb attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels. […]

April 4, 2007 (AFP) – Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Wednesday said it will resume flights to Sri Lanka after suspending services following a rebel attack on an airbase next to the island’s only international airport. “Safety is always our top priority,” chief operating officer Tony Tyler said, adding that Cathay would resume services from […]