Sri Lanka will see the arrival of around 35 luxury passenger cruise ships next year, according to the Navigation Division of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).
To facilitate the increased number of cruise ships, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has instructed to convert the Bandaranaike quay at the Colombo port to a passenger terminal and to relocate the warehouses at the location elsewhere.
With this development, even if three large ships 350 metres in length arrive at the same time, the Colombo port will be able to provide the necessary facilities for those operations and tourists.
SLPA has started an immediate programme to provide the necessary facilities to tourists in and near the existing passenger terminal, to run restaurants and merchandise shops, until the development work of the Bandaranaike dock is done.
Minister de Silva went on an observation tour yesterday to find out about the current situation of the existing passenger terminal and Bandaranaike quay.
“A large number of ships are to arrive at the port of Colombo during the upcoming tourism season, and the Sri Lankan government is committed to providing facilities for the operations of those ships and the tourists coming from them,” Minister de Silva said.
“Therefore, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority should take measures to provide those facilities by utilising the existing space as much as possible,” he added.
He instructed officials to secure the necessary funds for the development work from the SLPA and also to seek investor support.
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