All construction work of the oil tank farm and the oil terminal of the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapakse International Harbour have now been completed and the testing of the activities of the oil tank farm has started. The oil tank farm consist eight oil storage tanks and three aviation fuel tanks.

A fuel tanker from Singapore, M.V. Leon – M, has called at the port with several loads of marine gas oil for testing and pre-commissioning of the bunker facilities at the Port.

The unloading of the fuel from the vessel to the tank farm at the Port was initiated by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama

The loads were sample tested in Colombo by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. At the initial stage of pre-commissioning, 7000 m3 of marine gas oil would be pumped into the marine oil tanks at the tank farm. Accordingly, during the coming weeks the facility will be tested for accuracy and efficiency of its pumps, lines and tanks for smoother bunker operations.

The officials of the Ports Authority said that once the testing is over, the facility will be made available for bunker operations. They said that 35 trainees of the SLPA, 12 members of the technical staff and 15 fire fighters are also being trained on the bunkering process, parallel to the pre-commissioning of the tank farm.

At present, the Hambantota Port is being used as a successful automobile transshipment handling center and it has handled nearly 4500 transshipment units from 31 automobile vessels during the last six months of last year. (niz).