Minister Bimal Ratnayake and Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku recently conducted an urgent inspection of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port, which is currently under construction.
During their visit, Minister Ratnayake reviewed the project’s progress. He highlighted the potential to initiate 50% of ECT operations within this year and stressed the critical need for the project’s complete and expedited finalization.
“Colombo Port’s East terminal operations to be streamlined”
The Minister pointed out that no construction work was carried out on the East Container Terminal from 2014 to 2022, and that construction proceeded at a slow pace from 2022 onwards. He noted that since the current government took power, there has been significant progress on the project, which he emphasized must be further accelerated. The Minister firmly stated that the ECT is a valuable asset secured by port employees and will not be handed over to any other party. He instructed that it be operated under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority with a highly efficient and modern management structure.
The Chairman, Vice Chairman, Managing Director, and project officials of the Ports Authority were among those who attended the inspection.
Suranga Lakmal
