Colombo — The Eastern Terminal of the Colombo Port, a long-awaited project under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), is reportedly set to be ceremonially opened by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the 30th of this month. However, port union leaders warn that the terminal is far from operational, accusing top officials of deliberately delaying its completion to benefit competing terminals.
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, Shyamal Sumanaratne, Co-Convenor of the Port Trade Union Joint Alliance, raised serious concerns over the project’s true status and alleged misconduct by a senior SLPA official. He claimed that an administrative insider is “working to bring the Eastern Terminal to a state of natural death,” and that all six attempts to inform the Ports Minister of this issue had been ignored.
“The President has been misinformed,” Sumanaratne stated. “It will take at least another year and a half to actually open the terminal. There are no Straddle Carriers yet the tender for them was cancelled over eight months ago and has not been reissued.”
Straddle Carriers are essential to the functioning of the terminal, and Sumanaratne noted that even if a new procurement process began today, importing them would take more than a year. He expressed suspicion that the ongoing delays were being engineered to benefit other port operators at the expense of the Eastern Terminal’s viability.
“Despite support from the Ports Minister, Deputy Minister, Chairman, and Vice Chairman, the Managing Director’s conduct is stalling this crucial national project. The terminal’s construction has been paused indefinitely,” he alleged.
The union leader further criticized the suppression of whistleblowers, claiming that those who spoke up were hit with charge sheets, transfers, and retaliatory actions. “Before coming to the public, we wrote six letters to the Minister. None were answered. So we are taking this to the people of Sri Lanka. Even if we lose our jobs, we will defend this port,” Sumanaratne declared.
The Eastern Terminal is seen as a strategic asset in Sri Lanka’s maritime economy. Its delay and the controversy surrounding it may now have political ramifications, especially if the President’s ceremonial launch proceeds despite the terminal being non-functional.
