KKS harbour a white elephant

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) recently pointed out that not a single ship had arrived in the port of Kankesanturai since 2020.The parliamentary watchdog said that according to the reports of the Auditor General the container handling capacity of Sri Lanka Port Authority of the Colombo Port, compared to private operators, had decreased from 81% in 2001 to 28% by 2022.

Members of the Committee said that private investors have boosted profit and productivity and that the Ports Authority must take steps to compete with the private sector.

The Committee asked Port Authority officials on the preparation of the comprehensive plan for the next five years. The officials said 50 percent of the comprehensive plan has been completed. The officials agreed to present this plan to the Committee when the Authority is next called before COPE.

COPE also drew attention to the decrease in the arrival of naval vessels at the ports of Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee from the year 2018 to the year 2022. It also said not a single ship has arrived at the port of Kankesanthurai from the year 2020.

The officials said ports, other than Colombo, are used to import raw materials, such as cement. There is a decrease in the import of raw materials due to import restrictions. However, the situation will change soon, they said. The Committee instructed officials to focus on further developing the ports at the periphery when things return to normal.