By: Staff Writer
July 25, Colombo (LNW): The long-delayed expansion of the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) at the Port of Colombo is now gaining momentum, with the government reinvigorating state mechanisms and streamlining bureaucratic processes to fast-track the project. The upgrade aims to boost the terminal’s capacity and strengthen its competitiveness in regional maritime trade.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), which is spearheading the project, has initiated the extension of the existing 1,260-meter berth by an additional 120 meters. Once completed, the total berth length will reach 1,380 meters, enabling the terminal to simultaneously accommodate two vessels each up to 360 meters in length—an upgrade that is expected to significantly improve operational efficiency.
In addition to berth extension, a 40,000-square-meter (approximately 4 hectares) yard is being developed to handle increased container traffic. Plans also include expanding the container yard by 13 acres and installing three new gantry cranes, which will complement the terminal’s current 14 gantry cranes.
These developments are projected to increase the JCT’s annual handling capacity from the current 2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) to 3 million TEUs, according to SLPA estimates.
The latest construction work on the JCT-V Yard has been awarded to Maga Engineering Ltd under a Rs. 650.9 million contract. Cabinet approval was recently granted to develop the yard area to meet growing logistical needs. Nine bids were received for the tender, with Maga Engineering emerging as the top bidder based on recommendations by both the Tender Evaluation and High-Level Procurement Committees.
Initially approved in July 2017, the terminal expansion also involved deepening the basin to 15 meters. An agreement between SLPA and the original contractor was signed on November 29, 2018, at an estimated cost of Rs. 5.04 billion (excluding VAT). However, procedural delays stalled the project, with no official commencement notice issued within the agreed seven-day window.
The project was later revised in September 2020, pushing the start date to November 23, 2020. Despite this rescheduling, only 82.6% of the work had been completed by the end of 2023, well past the original July 2020 deadline, as revealed by a recent National Audit Office report. The overall cost has since ballooned to Rs. 10 billion.
A senior official from the Ministry of Ports and Aviation confirmed that while the official inauguration was scheduled for June 2024 under the previous administration, construction is now nearing completion. The prolonged delays were largely attributed to political instability and administrative changes during election periods.
