SLPA to implement Oluvil Port project

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has set all necessary steps to implement construction of the Oluvil Port which had been under discussion since 1994. A series of seminars to bring awareness of the Oluvil Port Construction Project specially among the school children was held recently in Oluvil.

The series of seminars had been organised under the guidance of Minister of Ports and Aviation Chamal Rajapaksa in view of bringing first-hand awareness of the advantages from the project to the community in the area.

The Management of SLPA has taken due steps to develop its regional Ports this year parallel to its new programmes launched to work strategically along with the competitive maritime activities in the regional maritime sector.

Further, the implementation of the Oluvil Port Project will be a decisive factor to change the state of lack of employment opportunities in the region creating 1000 direct and indirect employment opportunities by 2010 and 10,000 such opportunities by 2015.

The regional communities will receive immense benefits from the project such as the introduction of cement, fertilizer, and other industries related to the Port, bringing life to the fisheries sector in the region, elevating the market sector to a higher standard for the region's paddy cultivation and dairy industry through the improvement of conventional cargo handling operations.

The Oluvil Port construction project consists of two phases. During the first phase of its development, two breakwaters of 475 meters and 740 meters, a reservoir of 16 hectares, utilisation of 10 hectares of water area for commercial port activities and fisheries activities and a water area with a depth of 8 meters to enable handling of vessels of 5000 tons, will be constructed.

Meanwhile, implementation for fisheries activities, supply of water and fuel to fisher vessels will also be done under the 1st phase. During the second phase of development, dredging of the reservoir up to a depth of 11 meters enabling handling of vessels of 16000 tons and expanding of the vessel basing up to 24 hectares are expected.

These series of seminars was held at Nindavur Al Ashrak National school, Adalaichchenai Central College, Samanthurai Muslim Central College and also at Sainthamarudu Business Association.

Co-ordinating engineer of the Oluvil Port Project A.L. Mohomad Naufer, Project Officer M.M. Nagur Thamli, Training Officer M.V. Thahir, and the principal of Samanthurai Muslim Central College M.M. Faruk also assisted as resource persons at these seminars.