“As the global economy recovers gradually, we continue to aggressively market our location and services. As a result, RORO transshipment is steadily increasing at HIP and we have been able to better our volumes year on year,” says Tissa Wickremasinghe, COO of Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG).
Last year HIP hit the 500,000 mark in November, closing 2022 with a total volume of 558,200 moves of local and transshipment cargo handled, whereas this year the port was able to achieve the milestone within the 3rd quarter of 2023, setting a new milestone.
The port’s RORO business has seen significant growth in the past 5 years and it is now an attractive destination for transshipment of vehicles. “This is mainly because we are geared to meet the high quality, efficiency and reliability, Shipping Lines demand. HIP’s services and capacity for transshipment meet ‘best in the world’ standards, which along with our strategic location, makes the port a desirable destination for RORO movement. Apart from being the most convenient transshipment port for both the pacific and Indian oceans, our operations are top notch,” says Lance Zuo, General Manager Commercial & Marketing of HIPG.
The port handled 218 ship calls from 8 Shipping Lines to date this year, with the highest volume of 75,608 moves recorded in September from 32 RORO vessel calls. The month of September also recorded the highest ever RORO loading volume of 39,200 moves. The 500,000 milestone was completed with transshipment operations carried out for MV. Sunlight Ace of MOL and MV. Soo Shin of Glovis which brought volumes of 2391 moves and 3407 moves respectively.
COO of HIPG says the port’s success is due to several factors. “We give top priority to Standard operational Procedures and strictly maintain safe direction during RORO operations. This was clearly proven in the way our expert operations team handled vessels Sunlight Ace and Soo Shin, during the recent extreme weather conditions.” Compared to 2022, the port has seen a 25% increase in RORO volumes. Apart from dedication and hard work, the high growth in volumes is attributed to HIP’s investment in new equipment that has helped the port meet international standards, consolidating its position as a leading transshipment port for RORO. Construction of the new yard for transshipment vehicles is also nearing completion and is expected to become wholly operational by 2024.
