Port operations will continue to be an essential service: Minister

Minister of Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena yesterday said that the Port of Colombo had an immense responsibility as the main economic operations centre of the country and would continue to fulfil those responsibilities. 

Following a special inspection tour at Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and its Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), the Minister said that the global economic situation had deteriorated due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which also led to a breakdown in container operations at the Port of Colombo. 

He stressed that all arrangements had already been made and implemented to avoid the situation and manage the employees properly and maintain the container operations as before.

The Minister further said that on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Port has been made an essential service and its services have been restored through a Gazette Notification. He also thanked the management, all executive officers, staffs, employees and port trade union representatives who are committed to keeping the port active 24 hours a day and continuing its operations and service delivery efficiently. The Minister of Ports and Shipping further stated that all the service facilities at the Port of Colombo including its general operations and conventional cargo operations were continuously being maintained properly, as the main gateway in delivering all the essential commodities for the people and their industries without any delay. 

“In order to keep Sri Lankan agriculture afloat, 21 ships of fertiliser arrived at the Port of Colombo recently and all necessary steps have been taken to distribute essential imported commodities such as sugar and fertiliser in the country without any shortage,” the Minister said.