The top management of the Colombo Port recently held a grand ceremony to mark the opening of the third berth at the Eastern Container Terminal, but trade union representatives have raised concerns about the port’s operational readiness.
According to the unions, while construction of the berths up to the Quay Wall area of 1,096 metres has been completed, the new yard is still under construction. As a result, the terminal cannot efficiently handle three ships simultaneously. They also noted that the existing old yard does not have sufficient capacity for this purpose.
Although 12 ship-side cranes were installed, only nine are currently operational. Similarly, the old yard has 12 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, but three are typically deployed for repairs and periodic maintenance, leaving only about nine cranes available for daily operations.
Shipping companies have highlighted that for optimal efficiency, three yard cranes (RTGs) should support each ship-side crane (STS). Attempting to operate three ships simultaneously could reduce the efficiency of all ships at the terminal.
Trade unions and shipping experts warn that while the ceremonial opening was visually impressive, full operational capacity cannot yet be achieved until the yard construction is completed and all cranes are fully functional.
