Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port To Be Fully Functional By Next Year: Officials

The Hambantota port has great potential in energy services due to its location in the Indian Ocean rim, where 50 per cent of the world's maritime oil is traded.

The Chinese-built strategic southern port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka is set to become fully functional as a multi-purpose port by the next year, a top official of the company building it said on Monday. Located ten nautical miles from the global shipping route linking the Far East with the West, Hambantota Port is Sri Lanka's most diversified deep-water, multi-purpose port. It offers a comprehensive range of services for the shipping industry, with a focus on new technologies and environmentally sustainable practices, in keeping with the latest advances in the maritime sector. The port has great potential in energy services due to its location in the Indian Ocean rim, where 50 per cent of the world's maritime oil is traded. The port's LPG and future LNG operations are sure to cement its position as an energy hub in the region. "As Hambantota port is working towards being a fully functional multi-purpose port by next year, we are gearing at all levels, which includes continuous training and testing our systems for optimum efficiency which is part of the DNA of all China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort) operations across the globe," said Lance Zuo, General Manager, Commercial and Marketing, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG).