Ahmedabad: The opening of the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) in Sri Lanka will create thousands of jobs locally, Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), said on Monday.
Adani Ports has commenced operations at the terminal located at the Port of Colombo. The CWIT project represents a significant investment of $800 million and features a 1,400-metre quay length and 20-metre depth, enabling the terminal to handle approximately 3.2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually.
“The opening of Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) is a proud moment for Sri Lanka, elevating Colombo Port’s status as a key transshipment hub in South Asia,” said Karan Adani in a post on social media platform X.
Developed by Adani Ports under a visionary public-private partnership, “this project will create thousands of jobs locally and stand tall as a testament to strong neighbourly ties and shared progress,” he added.
The CWIT is the first deep-water terminal in Colombo to be fully automated, designed to enhance cargo handling capabilities, improve vessel turnaround times, and elevate the port’s status as a key transshipment hub in South Asia.
CWIT is operated by a consortium comprising India’s largest port operator, Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, leading Sri Lankan conglomerate John Keells Holdings PLC, and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, under a 35-year Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement.
Meanwhile, Adani Ports handled 450 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo in FY 2024-25, marking a 7 per cent year-on-year growth. Mundra, APSEZ’s flagship port, achieved a historic feat by surpassing the 200 MMT cargo mark in a single fiscal, a first for any Indian port.
The country’s largest port operator handled 420 MMT of cargo in the financial year 2023-24, surpassing the government’s 410 MMT volume.
According to Karan Adani, APSEZ aims to become the world’s largest port operator by 2030, achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, and attain net-zero emissions by 2040.
(IANS)
