The terminal, which will provide fuel for ships, has been constructed at a cost of US $95 million in line with the Magampura Port development project. The ship fuelling unit comes with an initial capacity of 55,000 tonnes and it is scheduled to expand gradually parallel to the expansion of the port and its services, Wickrama said.

The oil tank farm with 14 tanks has been constructed at the Hambantota Port with an investment of US $ 76 million. The farm has eight tanks for fuel bunkering facilities for vessels, three tanks for aero fuel and three tanks for storing LP gas. The 14 tanks will also have an overall capacity of 80,000m3.

It has been planned to offer bunkering services at the lowest possible rate in the Indian subcontinent at the initial stage. The tank farm will initially handle 55,000 tonnes of shipping fuel with eight tanks and is expected to add further 100,000 tonnes under the second phase.

Also the  Port  in Hambantota on Tuesday received two brand new ZPMC Ships to Shore (STS) Gantry Cranes and one Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) Crane from China.  The cranes required for importing and re-exporting of containers arrived at MRMRP on the vessel MV Zhen Hua 13.

These new ships to shore cranes are essential for MRMRP as they  have arms which are much longer than the usual  gantry cranes and could link ship to the shore.(KH/SI)