Financial Times

Cargo association offers tips to help port security

The Association of Clearing & Forwarding Agents has urged Ports Authority Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya to expedite the expansion and upgrading of the off-port Peliyagoda Container Freight Station (CFS) to achieve a total de-stuffing and delivery centre thre, thus eliminating entry into the Colombo Port for trucks and personnel picking up import cargoes on less (LCL) consignments totally.

This would ease security concerns by working towards a complete shift of LCL cargo delivery points from within to outside port as an urgent measure to facilitate trade and Port security, association chairman M. S. M. Niyas has said in copies of the letter sent to Thilak Collure, Rear Admiral L. D. Devapriya, Secretary, Ministry of Ports & Aviation and Commander-Western Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy.

Niyas said that due to a multitude of reasons, the stakeholders of international trade, including importers, exporters, transporters, cargo clearing and forwarding community personnel’s find it extremely difficult to enter and exit the Port of Colombo for various business reasons.

He said if a complete shift is going to take additional time for implementation, "we urge that a suitable racking system be implemented to increase capacities and at the same time increase the assignments of LCL containers to Central Freight Station (CFS)".

Peliyagoda substantially, to achieve a total elimination of doing de-stuffing of LCL cargoes at within Port warehouses such as Bandaranayake Quay, Pettah warehouses and JCT warehouses, which would greatly reduce the number of outside personnel and truck entering the port, to transact business whilst facilitating the import trade and port security.”

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