Colombo Port Cargo Volume up 10.1pct in Q1 2011

16th May 2011, www.island.lk

The Colombo port has seen an increase in volume for the first quarter of 2011, recording a volume of 1,076,540 containers during the first three months of this year, up 8.4 percent from 993,166 million a year earlier. Total cargo handled during this period amounted to 16.12 billion MT, up 10.1 percent from 14.65 billion MT a year earlier, latest data from the Central Bank showed.

The number of container vessels that called on Sri Lanka increased by 4.3 percent to 1,053 from 1,010 during the first quarter a year ago.

Domestic container volumes increased 8.3 percent during the quarter to 249,500 from 230,277 a year ago while transhipment volumes, mainly cargo to and from India, increased 8.9 percent 803,332 from 737,895 a year earlier.

There was 5.1 percent drop in re-stowing to 23,708 containers from 24,994 a year ago.

On a year-on-year basis, total cargo handled during the month of March 2011 increased by 9.5 percent to 5.73 billion MT with the number of containers increasing by 2.4 percent to 369,604 from 360,801 a year earlier. Ship traffic increased 8 percent in March 2011 to 376 from 348 a year earlier.

According to the Central Bank’s 2010 annual report, the cargo handling-ports and civil aviation sub-sector expanded substantially with a growth of 16.8 per cent in contrast to the marginal growth of 0.4 per cent registered in the previous year.

"This expansion was backed by the increase in both transshipment and cargo handling, which grew by 18.0 per cent and 26.7 per cent, respectively, during 2010. Further, the Colombo port handled the highest recorded volume of 4.1 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Container Units (TEUs) during the year, it said.

Related Info :

• Colombo Port Containers Handling Grows by 11.78pct Year-on-Year. SLPA Handles a Record 205,539 TEU in January 2011

• Colombo Port Jaya Container Terminal Handles Two Million TEUs in 11 Months. Four Million TEU Mark to Reach before Year End

• Sri Lanka Port Profit Go Up in 2010