Sri Lanka - 2.1.3 Port of Trincomalee

Port Overview

Located on the Northeast Coast of Sri Lanka, Trincomalee harbour ranks as the second-best natural harbour in the world. With good deep-draft anchorages at the Back Bay, Round Island, and Inner Basin Anchorages, it provides excellent support for ship services. The available water and land area is about 10 times as much as the Port of Colombo. While Port of Colombo is mostly for container shipping, Trincomalee harbour is identified to cater for bulk and break-bulk cargo and port related industrial activities including heavy industries, tourism, and agriculture etc. The principal imports are wheat, cement, clinker, and petroleum products. Principal exports are mineral sand, wheat bran pellets in bulk.

The port in Trincomalee is operated by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and encompasses only one terminal known as the Trincomalee Passenger Terminal. Additionally, Sri Lanka Naval Dockyard, the largest naval base of the country, is situated at the Port of Trincomalee. The port operates on a round-the-clock basis every day of the year, except on May Day when only daylight navigation is permitted. At present SLPA is working on transforming Trincomalee into a metropolis growth centre.

Port website: https://www.slpa.lk/port-colombo/trincomalee

Key port information may also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com

Port Location and Contact

Country

Sri Lanka

Province or District

Trincomalee

Nearest Town or City

with Distance from Port

Trincomalee (7.2 km)

Port's Complete Name

Trincomalee Port

Latitude

8.545642

Longitude

81.222900

Managing Company or Port Authority

Sri Lanka Ports Authority

Management Contact Person

Actg. Resident Manager

Mr. H.A.S.C.L. Perera

Tel: +94 262233607

Mob: +94 718053923,  +94 718741666

Fax: +94 262233601

Email:  samanperera@slpa.lk

Nearest Airport and Airlines with Frequent International Arrivals/Departures

Batticaloa International Airport

 

Port Dimensions

Water Area

1,630 ha

Entrance Channel

500 m

Land Area

5,261 ha

Port Picture

image-20240514142923-1

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The Port of Trincomalee is managed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. Security is provided by the Sri Lanka Navy and stevedoring is provided by Premier Shipping (Pvt) Ltd.

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List

Port Performance

Seasonal Constraints

 

Occurs

Time Frame

Rainy Season

N/A

N/A

Major Import Campaigns

N/A

N/A

Other Comments

N/A

 

Handling Figures for 2016

Vessel Calls

216

Container Traffic (TEUs)

N/A

 

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk for 2021

Bulk (MT)

3,190,000

Break bulk (MT)

N/A

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For information on port rates and charges, please refer to the following link: https://www.slpa.lk/uploads/article_attachment/attachment_2022_05_04_16516462931651646460.pdf. This booklet contains the Tariff Charges applicable for the year 2022, to all Ports, serviced by Sri Lanka Ports Authority approved, under section 37(1) of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act No. 51 of 1979.

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth

Quantity

Length

(m)

Maximum

Draft (m)

Comments

Conventional Berth

3

    

Berthing facilities include the following piers:

Prima Jetty (inner): 122 m (length), 5.9 m (alongside draft).

Prima Jetty (outer): 227 m (length), 13 m (alongside draft).

Tokyo Cement Jetty: 155 m (length), 8.6 m (draft).

Oil Jetty (petroleum corp): 200 m (length), 9.75 m (alongside draft).

Ashroff Quay: 250 m (length), 13 m (alongside draft), Bulk Head 90 x 2, 9 m (alongside draft).

Container Berth

N/A

    

 

Silo Berth

N/A

    

 

Berthing Tugs

N/A

    

 

Water Barges

N/A

    

 

Port Handling Equipment

Port equipment availability is limited.

Equipment

Available

Total Quantity and Capacity Available

Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage

Dockside Crane

N/A

    

Container Gantries

N/A

    

Mobile Cranes

Yes

1 x 7 MT

Pick Rover

Reachstacker

N/A

    

RoRo Tugmaster (with Trailer)

N/A

    

Grain Elevator with Bagging Machines

N/A

    

Transtainer

N/A

    

Forklifts

Yes

1 x 2.5 MT

Komatsu

Container Facilities

There are no container facilities in the Port of Trincomalee.

Customs Guidance

Sri Lanka customs headquarters is located at a walking distance from the port of Colombo. The customs administration is a department coming under the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media. The main activities of the customs at the port are Collection of revenue, prevention of revenue leakages and other frauds, facilitation of legitimate trade, collection of import and export data to provide statistics and cooperation and coordination with other Government Departments and stakeholders in respect of imports and exports. Before importing or exporting goods, custom declaration document should be submitted along with other documents. (Information regarding the documents needed is available at: https://www.customs.gov.lk/business/). The Customs Declaration (CusDec) is an important document which should be produced to the customs. It is a document based on the internationally recognized Single Administrative Document (SAD).

For more information on customs in Sri Lanka, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information

Terminal Information

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL

One multi-purpose berth owned by Prima.

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING

N/A.

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

Trincomalee Port possesses 2 warehouses, China Bay 04 and China Bay 20:

Location

Average height (t)

Area (sq ft)

Capacity (cu ft)

Stacking

China Bay 04

19

18,000

3,528,000           

14

China Bay 20

20

25,200

378,000           

15

 

Stevedoring

Stevedoring services at Trincomalee Port are provided by Premier Shipping (Pvt) Ltd., a privately-owned company that serves as the port's stevedoring contractor. The services available encompass freight forwarding, chartering, ship bunkering, offshore management, supply of stores and provisions, as well as acting as a shipping agent. For further information, please visit the company’s website at: https://www.premierlk.com/shipping/home.

Hinterland Information

N/A.

Port Security

The Sri Lankan Navy is responsible for ensuring port security.

Security

ISPS Compliant

Yes

Current ISPS Level
(Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional)

1

Police Boats

Yes

Fire Engines

Yes