Asia/Pacific News
Bunkering Set to Start at Sri Lankan Port
Bunkering facilities at Hambantota, Sri Lanka, are finally ready for commercial operations, according to official government news site News.lk.
The facility was originally set to open in May 2011, and the government announced this July that it would be open in October, but Chief Engineer A.H. Geeganage now says the tank farm has started operations.
Construction of the $76.5 million facility, which includes eight tanks for marine fuel, three for aviation fuel, and three for liquid petroleum, began in 2009.
The facility will pump fuel for eastbound ships and offers an alternative for vessels that obtain fuel from Singapore, Geeganage said.
The Hambantota Port, also known as Ruhunu Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa International Port, opened in 2010, and the Sri Lankan newspaper ColomboPage reports that 27 ships arrived there over the past six months, and the government expects it to produce an income of $32.5 million in 2013.
