All operations and other services of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority’s (SLPA) terminals and all other sister terminals at the Port of Colombo are swiftly returning to normal, the SLPA has said in a recent statement.
Over the last week operations at the terminals in the port had been impacted because of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
The SLPA said that subsequently, collective action with decisive measures were implemented to restore operations and to ensure the well-being of all employees and port users.
Accordingly, operations at Jaya Container Terminal, East Container Terminal, Unity Container Terminal, South Asia Gateway Terminal, and Colombo International Container Terminal are currently operating normally at quayside with yard operations and Inter-Terminal Transfers (ITT) being resorted in a planned fashion.
The Port of Colombo demonstrated resilience in its response to the second outbreak of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, the SLPA said, with immediate execution of appropriate contingencies to ensure continuation of operations in full compliance with the Ministry of Health’s Public Health protocols.
According to recent data, since 30 October the SAGT has successfully operated the three berths with the deployment of full quayside and yard equipment whilst delivering unimpeded gate operation for import and export cargo. Inter-Terminal Transfer (ITT) into and out of SAGT have been impeded by the congestion of the yards of the three terminals.
Prior to the spread of COVID-19 second wave in the country, the SLPA and all other terminals implemented a strategic crisis management plan.
Accordingly, all necessary health and strict safety precautionary measures implemented by SLPA, CICT, and SAGT over and above the government regulations ensured the safety and well-being of the port’s employees and port users.
The statement continued to say that considering the effort displayed by Port of Colombo, the SLPA is confident that it can return to normalcy and continue to extend the high level of service and efficiency its customers have become accustomed too.
