CICT Archives

November 30, 2023

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) and the China Merchants Foundation (CMF) donated US$ 41,600 (approximately Rs 13.7 million at current rates of exchange) to the wheelchair tennis programme of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), extending their support to the sport for the ninth year.

This latest donation takes the cumulative value of CICT’s and CMF’s monetary support to the development of wheelchair tennis in Sri Lanka to Rs 68 million. Besides the provision of funds, CICT in collaboration with the CMF has donated custom-made, professional grade titanium wheelchairs to internationally-ranked Sri Lankan wheelchair tennis players and has also funded the refurbishment of two international standard hard surface courts at SLTA.

CICT’s steadfast commitment to the cause has been acknowledged by the SLTA as the principal contributor to the recent growth of the sport and the emergence of high-performing Paralympians to represent the country.

The China Merchants Foundation is the social responsibility arm of CICT’s parent company, China Merchants Group (CMG).

Commenting on the CICT’s adoption of wheelchair tennis as a cause in Sri Lanka, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “As a company that is committed to promoting inclusivity, CICT is justifiably proud of the progress of the SLTA’s wheelchair tennis programme. Our consistent support has enabled the SLTA to plan and execute its development programme over a longer term, achieving tangible results.”

Thanking CICT and the China Merchants Foundation for their support to the programme, SLTA President Mr Iqbal Bin Issak said Sri Lanka is now ranked No 9 in the world in wheelchair tennis, and that the SLTA wheelchair tennis team comprises of 12 players, six of who are professionals.

SLTA’s wheelchair tennis programme was initiated in Sri Lanka in 2003 as a rehabilitation programme for differently-abled soldiers, and CICT has been supporting the programme since 2015.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort), the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

November 23, 2023

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has entered into a milestone collaboration agreement with the University of Moratuwa (UoM), creating a broad framework for a closer strategic alignment of academia and the logistics and engineering industries.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two entities outlines the parameters of a partnership that will encompass placement of the university’s graduates in management trainee programmes at CICT, the creation of an internship programme and mentoring and career guidance sessions at CICT for undergraduates, the development of continuous professional development at the university for CICT personnel, and a collaborative research and service audit programme involving both organisations.

Commenting on the launch of this landmark initiative, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “This close-knit partnership between academia and industry holds the promise of nurturing a talent pool equipped with practical skills, industry knowledge, and a deep understanding of real-world challenges. This collaboration between CICT and the University of Moratuwa will be a beacon for similar ventures, illustrating the potential for synergistic partnerships that drive innovation, learning, and economic progress in Sri Lanka’s engineering landscape.”

The Management Trainee (MT) programme to be introduced at CICT under the agreement will accommodate graduates of the university who have obtained BSc (Hons.), in Transport and Logistics Management, Transport Management and Logistics Engineering, while the Internship programme will be for undergraduates of the same degree programmes, the Company said.

In the sphere of research, the University of Moratuwa has undertaken to establish professional teams to collaborate in various research activities to conduct service audits on both Operations and Engineering functions at CICT, and to submit a report on standard compliance status and possible areas for improvement.

With these collaborations, CICT aims to provide job-based training opportunities for young people aspiring to pursue careers in logistics and transport. The objective of the partnership is to source potential and qualified candidates for the Management Trainee pool of CICT and to train and develop aspiring youth for future leadership roles in the industry as an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiative of CICT that contributes to society.

Adjudged the Best Container Terminal in Asia in the Under 4 million TEUs category for seven years consecutively, CICT handles more than half of Sri Lanka’s import and export trade volume. Located at a strategic point on the Maritime Silk Road, CICT currently serves 30 shipping routes and serves as a hub for numerous shipping companies on the Far East to Europe routes.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort), the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

October 10, 2023

Beats terminals in China, Indonesia and Thailand to win coveted AFLAS award in Under 4 million TEUs category

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has been declared the Best Container Terminal in Asia in 2023 in the Under 4 million TEUs category, winning the coveted title for the seventh consecutive year.

CICT’s impressive triumph on the global stage was announced by Asia Cargo News at the 2023 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) awards gala at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach Hotel. CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang accepted the award on behalf of the Company.

The three other shortlisted finalists in the running for the prestigious award were Fuzhou International Container Terminal – China, Jakarta International Container Terminal – Indonesia and Laem Chabang International Terminal – Thailand.

Commenting on this remarkable achievement, CICT CEO Mr. Jack Huang said: “This award is most significant because it is not just about volumes. The winners are selected by the votes of the people that matter the most – freight and logistics companies and clients from around Asia and the Pacific who have business internationally. The award recognises demonstrated leadership, consistency in service quality, innovation and reliability. CICT is therefore greatly honoured to have won the AFLAS award for the 7^th year in succession. I am very proud of the team I am working with.”

“CICT has actively embraced technological innovation, promoted digitalization, emphasized talent development, continuously optimized operational efficiency, and improved customer satisfaction,” Mr Huang added. “This award will inspire CICT to further expand and enhance terminal management, streamline operational processes, and raise service levels to create greater value for our customers.”

CICT handles more than half of Sri Lanka’s import and export trade volume. Located at a strategic point on the Maritime Silk Road, CICT is near the international shipping routes from the Far East to Europe, and offers a well-developed logistics system. CICT currently serves 30 shipping routes and serves as a hub for numerous shipping companies on the Far East to Europe routes.

The CICT terminal has a quay length of 1,200 meters, covers 58 hectares of land, and is equipped with 14 advanced quay cranes, 46 fully electric rubber-tired gantry cranes, and offers a water depth of 18 meters at the quay, making it the only deep-water container terminal in operation in South Asia, capable of handling the largest container vessels in the world. CICT also features Sri Lanka’s first and the most advanced hazardous goods storage yard, with an annual capacity of handling 50,000 TEUs of hazardous cargo.

CICT officially commenced operations in 2014, with a throughput of 680,000 TEUs in its first year. By 2022, the throughput had reached 3.18 million TEUs, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 18.7% over nine years and contributing to the rise in global rankings of the Port of Colombo from 34^th place in 2012 to 23^rd place in 2022.

Currently, CICT maintains a stable quay crane operating efficiency of 33 moves per hour, leading the South Asian region. As of September 2023, the average vessel turnaround time has been reduced by 1.3 hours compared to the same period in 2022.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

Nominees for the AFLAS awards are judged on adherence to criteria standards encompassing higher operational productivity, efficient turnaround of trucks delivering and picking up containers; provision of suitable container shipping-related infrastructure; cost competitiveness, customer service level and customer satisfaction; timely and adequate investment in new facilities to meet future demand; innovative operating environment, facilitation of ancillary services and ease of doing business activities; and effective and easy-to-use IT systems.

The AFLAS Awards are designed to honour leading service providers including air and shipping lines; airports and seaports; and logistics, 3PLs and other associated industry professionals for demonstrating leadership as well as consistency in service quality, innovation, customer-relationship management and reliability.

May 17, 2023

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has announced the maiden call of a new service to the Port of Colombo that will connect Sri Lanka with the East Coast of the United States via Asia, strengthening another important trade route for exporters and importers and making Sri Lanka more accessible to global markets.

Launched on 16^th May 2023, this new shipping service ‘AA7’ is operated by Wan Hai Lines as the lead line and Hapag Lloyd as the partner line. It will call at CICT on a weekly basis, as part of a port rotation that includes Shanghai > Ningbo (including Zhoushan) > Taipei> Shekou (Shenzhen) > Cai Mep > Singapore > Colombo > New York > Norfolk (including Portsmouth) > Charleston> Savannah, and then back to Shanghai.

Commenting on the launch of the new shipping service, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “One of our key contributions to the Port of Colombo is our ability to attract new services that enhance connectivity and volumes. This is due to the efficiency and productivity standards that we have achieved and consistently maintained throughout the operational years. CICT, being part of the global network of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited, has invested to add deep-water capacity and introduce state-of-the-art infrastructure and processes which have enabled our customers to enjoy international service levels. We are delighted to welcome the new AA7 service of Wan Hai Lines to Colombo and look forward to facilitating many more new services at CICT and the Port of Colombo.”

The WAN HAI A10 cargo vessel docking at CICT has a total capacity of 13,500 TEUs and is 335 metres in length. CICT has already brought some of the largest vessels plying the Asia-Europe routes to Colombo. These include Evergreen Ever Ace (24,000 TEU), Milan Maersk (20,568 TEU), MSC Maya (19,224 TEU), Mogens Maersk (18,300 TEU), MSC New York (16,652 TEU), CMA CGM Marco Polo (16,020 TEU), Edith Maersk and EMC Thalassa Hellas (each 14,000 plus TEUs), which are regular callers at Colombo.

CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and only operating deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its

inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 teus in 2014, to just over 3.2 million teus in 2021. CICT has been recognised as the best container terminal in Asia in the under 4 million TEUs category for six consecutive years from 2017 to 2022 at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) awards.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

February 21, 2023

Theory was brought to vivid life when Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) recently hosted a group of students to a visit to the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo to see the port’s showpiece terminal in operation.

The visit, organised in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) provided 22 students from the university of Moratuwa, the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), Ocean University of Sri Lanka and CINEC Campus an opportunity to witness the working of an award-winning deep-water terminal – the only one of its kind in the region.

Presentations from CICT’s heads of department in the fields of operations, safety, engineering, human resources, commercial and marketing provided an insight into multiple aspects of the functioning of a port, and was followed by visits to a berth, the gantry cranes, yard and gate house.

A spokesperson for CICT said this visit was the first of four planned for the year, to enable students following degrees in supply chain, logistics and transport to get first-hand information, and to experience port operations as part of their education. CICT was pleased by the high level of interest shown by the visiting students and encouraged by the female representation in the group, the spokesperson added.

CICT already has a collaboration with CILT to provide job-based training opportunities for young people aspiring to careers in logistics and transport, under which CILT is the liaison between educational institutes and CICT, and CICT provides industrial exposure, training and employment opportunities to the candidates sourced by CILT.

CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and only operating deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 teus in 2014, to just over 3.2 million teus in 2021. CICT has been recognised as the best container terminal in Asia in the under 4 million TEUs category for six consecutive years from 2017 to 2022 at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) awards.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

February 17, 2023

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) won the 2023 six-a-side softball cricket tournament organised by the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) beating Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in the final on Sunday 12^th February.

Batting first, the CICT team led by Captain Anju Jayashantha scored an impressive 108 for no loss and restricted the SLPA team to 93 for five wickets to win the men’s final by 15 runs. On the way to annexing the championship trophy, Team CICT defeated teams from Colombo Dockyard and Sri Lanka Customs.

A popular annual sporting event involving companies in the ports and shipping sectors as well as in related services, this year’s CASA six-a-side cricket tournament was held at the NCC, Maitland Crescent, and attracted a record 64 men’s and 28 women’s teams.

Congratulating the CICT team for its performance in the tournament, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “At CICT we take great pride in providing opportunities for our employees to shine not only in their work roles but in sports and other character-building activities that promote team spirit and work-life balance. We look forward to more winning performances from our sports teams.”

The CICT team for the 2023 CASA six-a-side softball cricket tournament comprised of Anju Jayashantha (Captain), Asanka Chamara, Sharika Lakmal, Madusha Randunu, Madusha Lakshan and Anjelo Johns.

CICT which is managed by China Merchant Port Group (CMPort), operates the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. It is also the flagship terminal of China Merchant Port Group.

Pictured here is the victorious CICT team and its captain receiving the CASA champions trophy.

December 9, 2022

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has announced a milestone collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) to provide job-based training opportunities for young people aspiring to careers in logistics and transport.

A Memorandum of Understanding ratified by the two organisations paves the way for CILT to be the liaison between educational institutes and CICT, and for CICT to provide industrial exposure, training and employment opportunities to the candidates sourced by CILT.

The objective of the partnership, initially for a year, is to source potential and qualified candidates for the Management Trainee pool of CICT and to train and develop aspiring youth for future leadership roles in the industry as an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiative of CICT that contributes to society.

Commenting on this initiative, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “CICT and CILT are united by common interests and objectives, which makes this collaboration a true win-win for both organisations. It will generate major benefits to the student community to enhance skills and knowledge, and will provide insights into the latest developments and requirements of the industry for the benefit of everyone.”

As part of its commitment to the programme CICT has agreed to permit the students of CILT to visit the Company and to participate in industrial training programmes that will build confidence and prepare the students to make a smooth transition from academics to working careers. CILT has undertaken to provide its professional expertise for the hands-on training of the learners enrolled with CICT, with a focus on emerging technologies in order to bridge the gap in skills and make them ready for the industry.

CILT, which traces its origins to the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT) in Sri Lanka in 1984, is currently governed by a Council consisting of professionals representing all segments of the Transport and Logistics industry and is one of the eight Chartered Institutes that make up the Forum of Chartered Institutes (FCI). Its principal objective is to promote, encourage and co-ordinate the study of the science and art of Logistics and Transport in all its branches.

CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and only operating deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 teus in 2014, to just over 3.2 million teus in 2021. CICT has been recognised as the best container terminal in Asia in the under 4 million TEUs category for six consecutive years from 2017 to 2022 at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) awards.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

November 21, 2022

The donation under the C-Blue project, will fund cataract and LASIK surgeries and other procedures

Another group of Sri Lankans with correctable eye diseases and disorders will soon begin surgery to restore clearer vision, thanks to the latest phase of a community initiative of Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) in partnership with the Nawaloka Hospital.

CICT recently donated US$ 25,000 (Rs 9.25 million at current exchange rates) it has pledged for the project. The donation is part of CICT’s ‘C-Blue Restore Sight Project’ that the Company launched in 2015.

Nawaloka Hospital will procure, supply and utilise all the resources needed to implement the project, including providing professional medical staff, lenses, accessories, and other equipment to perform surgeries, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two organisations. The patients for these free surgeries will be selected from the waiting lists of several government hospitals in Sri Lanka, on the recommendations of the signatory organisations.

Commenting on CICT’s continuing support to this eye care programme, the Company’s General Manager – Administration and Corporate Social Responsibility Mr Grant Yang said: “The C-Blue Restore Sight Project was launched to enable access to eye care, especially for those living in impoverished conditions. The recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka has pushed many more beyond the poverty line, and often, non-emergency healthcare is one of the casualties on the list of priorities. With this latest phase of the project, CICT is reaffirming its commitment to the continuity of this initiative, despite the challenges faced by the business.”

Cataract surgeries, refractive surgeries that reshape the cornea (LASIK surgery), and Corneal Collagen Crosslinking (CXL) including squint correction and keratoplasty will be performed under this phase of the CICT ‘C-Blue Restore Sight Project.’ Additionally, selected patients requiring the Avastin injection for visual defects too will be accommodated. Plans to conduct eye camps in certain needy areas identified by CICT are also in the pipeline.

At a ceremony held recently at the Hospital, Mr Grant Yang presented a symbolic cheque to the Chairman and CEO of Nawaloka Hospitals Dr Jayantha Dharmadasa and the Hospital’s Director/General Manager Vidya Jyothi Emeritus Professor Lal G. Chandrasena. Thereafter, the CICT team visited some of the patients scheduled for surgeries.

Since the launch of the ‘C-Blue Restore Sight Project’ in 2015, CICT has funded more than 450 cataract surgeries to restore sight, in collaboration with the National Eye Hospital.

A generous contributor to community welfare, CICT is also the principal sponsor of Sri Lanka’s Wheelchair Tennis Programme and has donated over Rs 54 million for the cause over the past seven years. Additionally, CICT and the China Merchants Foundation (CMF) which is the social responsibility arm of CICT’s parent company, China Merchants Group (CMG) have constructed and donated a well-equipped, two-storey Community Centre Building to the Pannila Village in Horana with an investment of US$ 102,000 under their ‘Hope Village’ project, and are also supporting another ‘Hope Village’ in Lunugamvehera in the Hambantota District.

CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and only operating deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 teus in 2014, to just over 3.2 million teus in 2021.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

October 21, 2022

Sri Lankan engineering ingenuity at Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has given the maritime world a potentially life-saving innovation that eliminates the risks run while mooring large ships.

A hydraulically-operated quick-release hook invented by CICT’s Senior Engineer Charith de Silva enables a fork lift operator towing a mooring rope that can weigh as much as a ton to be looped over a bollard, to instantly release the rope if the operator feels a pull in the opposite direction, preventing the forklift and possibly its operator being dragged into the sea by the ship’s movement.

The cleverly-designed quick-release hook installed on the counterweight behind the driver’s seat integrates with the forklift’s own hydraulic valve box, making it operable via the standard functional levers used by the operator to manipulate the machine, and enabling a split-second release of the mooring rope if necessary.

Costing just Rs 400,000 to fabricate and install, the quick-release hook is to be fitted on four three-ton forklifts at CICT, and its inventor says he will make the design available to other port operators free of royalty, as its purpose is the safety of port workers and their equipment.

“This hook is particularly important when mooring the very large ships that call at CICT,” Mr de Silva said. “Their mooring ropes are very strong and heavy and cannot be dragged and tied to a bollard manually, so we have to use forklifts to tow the ropes. But if a rope is accidently winched back during the process, or the ship’s movement pulls the rope back, the forklift can be dragged along. This is the risk we set out to eliminate.”

“We came across multiple options in our research, but we wanted to find an in-house solution that was cost-effective, durable, reliable and safe, and most of all, as simple as possible to implement with existing materials and equipment within our terminal,” he added. “I am grateful to my team for all the inputs and to the management of CICT for the opportunity and the encouragement I received to look for a home-grown solution to a problem that is common to most terminals.”

Congratulating the inventor of the quick-release hook and his team, CICT CEO Mr Jack Huang said: “Safety and efficiency are bywords for us, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve processes through innovation and technology. Our engineers are an excellent example of this approach and are an inspiration to their counterparts. We look forward to more innovations from them.”

CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and only operating deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 teus in 2014, to just over 3.2 million teus in 2021.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

September 29, 2022

Families in a village in Sri Lanka’s deep South witnessed corporate generosity and empathy when Colombo International Container Terminals Limited (CICT) and Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) joined hands recently to donate dry rations to residents of Kandagasmankada in the Lunugamwehera Division of the Hambantota District.

Dubbed ‘Hope Village’ after the hamlet was “adopted” for a flagship community development project funded by the China Merchants Foundation (CMF), Kandagasmankada is the highest-populated village in the Hambantota district, and the largest contributor to the agricultural sector within the Lunugamwehera division.

On Friday 23^rd September, representatives of the two China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort) managed companies visited the township to present 362 families with hampers containing nearly six tons of food to the value of Rs 2.7 million.

This ‘Hope Village’ — the second of its kind — was launched in 2022 as a development model village to assist marginalised communities in the Hambantota district. It is a collaboration between CMF – the CSR arm of the China Merchant Group – which has provided a budget of Rs 60 million, and the non-profit Nirmala Foundation. CICT and HIPG are the facilitators of the project.

The funding will provide the village a community centre, health centre, agriculture centre, playground facilities as well as financial assistance to the village temple, and will benefit approximately 2,170 residents.

CICT’s first ‘Hope Village’ project chose Pannila near Horana as the beneficiary. The company has already built a two-storey community centre at a cost of Rs 17 million for the village. The centre provides accommodation for several local government offices that provide essential services to about 2000 people.

A generous contributor to community welfare, CICT is also the principal sponsor of Sri Lanka’s Wheelchair Tennis Programme and has donated over Rs 54 million for the cause over the past seven years. CICT and CMF have also supported the “C-Blue Restore Sight Project” in Sri Lanka in collaboration with the National Eye Hospital, which has helped more than 400 cataract patients regain sight.

Hambantota International Port Group is a Public Private Partnership and a Strategic Development Project between the Government of Sri Lanka and China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort). HIPG is currently in the process of fast-tracking the setting up of its industrial zone and developing partnerships with industries that wish to set up facilities in and adjacent to the port. The Port’s plans include the setting up of a reliable supply chain, both upstream and downstream, which will put Sri Lanka on the map for investors from across the globe.

CICT is the flagship overseas terminal of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort). CMPort is the largest and a globally-competitive public port developer, investor and operator in China with investments in Mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. CMPort has a port network portfolio spanning 50 ports in 26 countries and regions. Guided by the vision “To be a world class comprehensive port service provider” and supported by its domestic, overseas and innovation strategies, CMPort strives to strengthen its core competencies in global throughput, port service and management.

CICT & CMF donate US$ 41,600 to SLTA’s wheelchair tennis programme for 2023-24

CICT launches strategic collaborative partnership with University of Moratuwa

CICT crowned Best Container Terminal of its capacity in Asia for 7th consecutive year

CICT attracts new service to Colombo, adds connectivity on USA route

CICT hosts university students to a day at Colombo Port’s South Terminal

CICT wins CASA softball cricket championship 2023

CICT in milestone initiative with CILT to enhance training in logistics & transport

CICT pledges US$ 25,000 for sight-saving surgeries in Sri Lanka

CICT engineer invents potentially life-saving quick-release hook for use in mooring ships

CICT & HIPG gift essential foods to 362 families of ‘Hope Village’