Category: News

The Hambantota International Port (HIP) launched its Duty Free Complex with the opening of 2 duty free shops within the port’s premises. The complex is designed to grow the duty-free business catering to the vessels calling HIP.

The first two operators to set up at HIP’s duty free complex are Royale Electronics and United Life, both organizations with over 30 years of experience in the duty free trade. They offer a wide array of international duty free goods ranging from imported liquor, confectionery, perfumes, tobacco, etc.

As HIP gears itself to facilitate an increased number of passenger cruise vessels calling at the port, both Duty Free Shop operators will be an essential value addition to overseas passengers and crews.

Apart from contributing towards uplifting tourism in the country by promoting cruise liner calls, the port is rapidly progressing in its development of port services, such as the industrial park, marine services, energy hub and integrated logistics; which will automatically increase tourist and investor footfall and require more end-to-end services to be offered.

The port’s duty free complex which is of international standards is housed under HIP’s International Commercial Centre will provide integrated support to all of the port’s business platforms. Chairman of China Merchants Group (CMG) Miao Jianmin who was on an official visit to Sri Lanka recently, also toured the HIP duty free complex.

Royale Electronics (Pvt) Ltd., a Sri Lankan company incorporated in 1997, envisions expanding its network across all connecting & international airports and seaports in Sri Lanka. Their operations in the country currently extend from the Colombo Port, Bandaranaike International Airport, Mattala International Airport, Jaffna International Airport and now to HIP.

United Life, in business since 1982, is one of the oldest private bond license holders in Sri Lanka. The company has now expanded into international markets with its presence in the Maldives and will also expand its products range at their duty free shop at HIP.

COO, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) Tissa Wickramasinghe, was chief guest for the opening of Royale Duty Free, and Raymond Mu, Chief Financial Officer, HIPG was Chief Guest at the opening of United Life Duty Free and representatives from Sri Lanka Customs, Royale Electronics, United Life and HIP Staff also participated.

Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has emphasised that the agreement signed with China pertaining to the Hambantota port is ‘very clear’, emphaising that the port cannot be used for any war or security purposes.

Speaking to World Is One News (WION), Siripala noted that as per the agreement, the Hambantota port will be used solely for trading purposes.

“We had to sell the Hambantota port. We asked India to take it over and the US to take it over. Then the Chinese came and took it over. It is a private sector takeover. It is not being used for other purposes. Our agreement with the Chinese is very clear that it cannot be used for any war or security purposes but only trade”, he said in this regard.

Siripala spoke to WION on both, the Hambantota and Colombo ports, investments by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in the country, and more on the sidelines of the sixth international Indian Ocean Conference in Bangladesh.

“We have excellent relations with India. India is helping and we are reciprocating. We have started flights from India to our airports. We have started ferry services to and from Madras. We have increased connectivity,” the Minister said, emphasising that the two nations have a ‘very friendly relationship’.
India’s capital, New Delhi, is currently aiding Colombo build its energy sector, with Sri Lanka having extended an invitation to invest in the Trincomalee port, located nearly 262 kilometres Southwest of Colombo.

“We have requested India to come to Trincomalee port and do the value addition”, he said.

Thus, Siripala noted that Sri Lanka, as a nation, must be ‘mindful about the security of India’, while also expressing confidence on the Adani investment in Colombo’s port.

– With input from agencies

Seven personnel belonging to Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces have reportedly gone missing in France while participating in the 2023 World Military Triathlon Championship.

Accordingly, four officers belonging to the Sri Lanka Army, one Naval personnel and two officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force are believed to have stolen their passports from the Chief of the 13-member delegation that departed to France for the event and fled the accommodation in which they were.

A 13-member delegation comprising of five men, five women and three officials from the Tri-Forces left for France on 04 May to participate in the event, while Chairman of the Defence Service Triathlon, Commander Lakmal Weerakkody of the Sri Lanka Navy acted as the Chief.

Sources claimed that the passports of the contestants had been placed with a senior official owing to such incidents having occurred in the past. However, the group of seven is believed to have stolen their passports while Commander Weerakkody had left for his meals.

Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said that there was no point Sri Lanka getting loans from World Bank or the International Monetary Fund if the people who handle those funds continue to be the fraudsters. Then the plight of the country and its people’s will remain the same.

Delivering his homily at the 125th jubilee mass offered in the church dedicated to St Joseph at Kaluwarippuwa, Katana, the cardinal said that developing and rebuilding this nation were not unachievable or an impossible task.

“It is very simple, if we want to develop our motherland, the first step is that we must build our own lives and be very sincere in our dealings. If we are not sincere we will not be able to take the country forward,” he said.

“There was a marked decay in Sri Lankan society as a whole. The problem seems to be worsening and we are going down the drain. If we want to develop this country, there has to be a revolution. For that, the people must begin to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of the religions that they adhere to and profess,” the Cardinal said.

“We do not become a people who really live our religions by erecting statues of the founders of great religions at every junction in the country of sporting the religious symbols around their necks,” the cardinal said.

A US-based company has reached a principle agreement to lay a new fuel pipeline between Colombo Port and the Kolonnawa terminal ahead of the signing agreement to begin its retail fuel distribution in Sri Lanka.

Under the agreement, RM Parks-Shell Company will make an initial investment of US$ 50 to 60 million for the project which is expected to begin after it enters into the retail fuel distribution business.

The new pipeline will replace the existing line which has experienced several leaks over the past few years.

In addition to the laying of the pipeline, the company will install fenders in the jetty replacing tyres which are used to prevent the collision of vessels and also invest in a fire control system in the harbour.

The company is set to sign an agreement this month to enter the fuel distribution business in Sri Lanka and begin operations in June.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has held an online meeting with RM Parks-Shell Company to discuss agreements, policy, logistics and timeline to begin operations in Sri Lanka.

The company’s technical officials recently visited the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) tank farm.