Ship Call

Jan 08, 2013 (LBO) - A call by a car carrier belonging to Japan's K-Line, at Sri Lanka's Colombo port this week is expected to lead to further business in transshipment from the shipping line, officials said.

Wickrama had said 200 million dollars had been spent in upgrading container handling facilities in Colombo to boost productivity with new equipment and yard space for 600,000 twenty foot equivalent containers.

Panama flagged MV Delhi Highway had made its maiden call in Colombo on January 04. The 299 metre vessel has a gross tonnage of 58,997 and a dead weight of 18.

891 tonnes, Sri Lanka Ports Authority said in a statement.

Nihal Keppetipola, managing director of the Sri Lanka ports authority said RO/RO vessels with bulk car shipments will call on Colombo and individual imports of cars and transshipment will be through Hambantota port in the South.

The statement quoted John Shiran Dissanayake, chairman of ABC Shipping (Private) Limited, agents for K-Line as saying that his principals would consider transshipping vehicles via Hambantota to East Africa and Europe.

"The Principals would launch some brand new ships in 2013 and 2014, which will call at Ports of Sri Lanka," he was quot