INSEE Cement, Sri Lanka’s leading cement manufacturer, began construction of their mega capacity warehouse within the industrial park in Hambantota International Port (HIP) last week. The US$ 3 million investment by INSEE will be the largest warehousing facility inside a port in Sri Lanka for raw materials used in the production of cement. The warehouse which will see completion in the next 6 months will hold a capacity of 45,000 cubic metres and is being built on a 17,300 sq metre plot of land.
Johnson Liu, CEO of HIPG and Nandana Ekanayake Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of INSEE were chief guests at the groundbreaking ceremony, which was held at the warehouse site. The CEO of HIPG said, “INSEE was the port’s first bulk cargo customer since inception and the largest volume contributor. We have always had a win-win collaboration with INSEE where they could increase their volumes owing to the high-quality service we offer and help streamline their local supply chain, while contributing to the largest dry bulk volumes handled by the port. This new investment by INSEE in HIP’s industrial park is proof of their trust in us, as well as being a commitment to meet the demands of the local industry.”
Nandana Ekanayake, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of INSEE said, “Hambantota Port is a vital link in our raw material supply chain. INSEE has been using this port since 2018 and so far, we have cleared around 1.7 million tons of bulk cargo through the port, of which we did a little over 1 million in 2021. Today, we laid this foundation as another step to strengthen our partnership with HIPG and it is a part of our commitment when we signed the 10-year lease agreement with the port, to construct this 100,000 square foot warehouse for slag. We see great potential in developing channels through HIP and while we have made an initial investment of USD 3 million for warehousing in the industrial park, we would be more than doubling it in the future.”
Once it is completed, it will be used to store shipments of cement raw material arriving at the Hambantota International Port and later be transferred to INSEE’s production plant. The modern construction of the warehouse is geared to store the raw material in safe environmentally friendly surroundings. The warehouse once operational will create many locally sourced job opportunities.
A tree planting initiative and a pirith chanting were held to mark the occasion, which was attended by both INSEE and HIP teams. Fifteen Mousey Mee (Madhuca longifolia) trees indigenous to South Asia, were planted at the warehouse site.