Wednesday, 26th November 2014
Marking yet another significant landmark in the container handling saga of Sri Lanka, the Port of Colombo received the largest container vessel to have called on Colombo, the MV MSC New York at the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), its latest terminal, on, November 19.
This 400m vessel is the first 16,650 TEU category vessel to have arrived at the Port of Colombo and earns a landmark achievement for the Port of Colombo that places it among the few ports in the world that can handle such large mega carriers. The vessel was on her maiden voyage to Port of Colombo and was arriving from Port Kelang (Malaysia). She was heading direct to Europe after Colombo.
To mark this historic occasion, a Plaque Exchange ceremony was held on board MSC New York and Capt. Domenico Pica, Master of the vessel, exchanged plaques with officials of Sri Lanka Ports Authority, CICT and Messrs. MSC Lanka (Pvt) Ltd respectively.
Expressing views on the occasion Capt. Nihal Keppetipola - Managing Director of SLPA stated that it was an honour to have such mega vessels at the Port of Colombo specially at a time the port sector has embarked on several mega development projects worth billions of Dollars with the objective of making Sri Lanka the maritime hub of the South Asia region. "At present, mega lines such as the MSC has credibly developed their faith on the Port of Colombo and it's growing at a remarkable pace. With the completion of the ongoing development projects and the completion of the Colombo Port City Project, Colombo will be the hub for all maritime partners and stake holders in the region," he said. He also said that these types of vessels will be regular callers at the Port of Colombo in the near future.
Kamal. Wijesinghe, MD MSC Lanka, expressing views at the occasion stated that they were very much thankful to the Principles in Geneva (Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. - Geneva) for the high confidence kept on Port of Colombo by scheduling such a mega vessel to make her maiden call at Colombo. "This proves MSC's relationship and commitment to Sri Lanka Ports Authority for high level of service provided to all MSC vessels calling Port of Colombo. "We are also thankful to CICT and the staff," he further said. Commenting on the occasion Nelson Liu, Chief Executive Officer of CICT said, "Under our wing, we are confident that MSC will thrive and grow from strength to strength in the future. Your success is our success too. That means you-our customer-is our most valuable asset and I take this opportunity to wish MSC and their local agent Messrs. MSC Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. all the very best."
From : http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=114859
