Sri Lanka anticipates investing approximately $ 150 million for Galle harbour development for commercial and recreational activities in making Galle harbour a tourist attraction port, The Daily Morning Business learnt.
Speaking to The Daily Morning Business, Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Shipping K. D. S. Ruwanchandra said: “Primarily, we want to develop it for tourism with yachts and there will be a marina in Galle harbour. Further, we expect to develop some hotels as well. Therefore, there will be reclaimed land which will be coming to Galle harbour with the pitching of the port.”
He pointed out that they will basically seek foreign investors for both commercial and recreational activities such as hotels and yachting. Moreover, they will begin to call for Expression Of Interest (EOI) within another two weeks time period.
In addition, the timeline for the development of infrastructure facilities and recreation activities at the Galle harbour will take at least 2 – 3 years. First, they need to construct the breakwater and the bridging.
Speaking to The Daily Morning Business, Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Ministry Media Secretary Wiraj Abeysinghe said: “Due to a large boulder obstructing the process, the port is unable to receive ships with a draft deeper than 10 metres. Additionally, mini cruises with a draft of 5 to 6 metres are welcome in Galle harbour.”
Furthermore, at the Galle harbour, an oil bunkering service is provided. They also plan to provide ships with a supply chain that handles tasks like topping up water and oil tanks.
According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the marine tourism master plan will be out welcoming both international and national stakeholders. Currently, all stakeholders have been involved with them because they were instrumental together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in developing the marine tourism master plan which has been finalised now.
Sri Lanka’s territorial waters cover 21,500 square kilometres and its exclusive economic zone, 517,000 square kilometres, almost eight times the country’s land area. Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, lagoons, beaches, salt marshes and estuaries are mere a few examples of the natural resources and ecosystems that are found in the coastal and marine environment.
According to the Sri Lanka Port Authority, Galle harbour is a natural harbour in the Southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Currently Galle port serves as one of the active regional ports in the country and it is also the only Sri Lankan port that provides facilities for pleasure yachts. International yacht societies have recognised Galle harbour as one of the world’s best attractions for yachting.