Colombo Port has handled its first ship capable of carrying 10,000 containers and will soon be the only port in south Asia to handle even bigger cargo vessels with new deep-water terminals under construction.
APL Chongqing docked at the state-run Jaya Container Terminal this week.
The Chairman of Sri Lanka’s Ports Authority Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrema said the docking of this huge vessel heralds a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s shipping industry and Colombo will be ready to handle any mega vessel to be built in the future.
APL Chongqing on her maiden call at Colombo will also take on the first of 20 cadet officers of the SLPA’s Mahapola Training Institute under a training deal with the shipping line.
In April this year, in a bid to tap into the country’s pool of capable and well-qualified graduates, APL entered into an agreement with MPTI to train 20 new seafarers from the Institute annually on board its vessels. The shipping line has a total order of 32 similar or larger vessels.(niz)
