Sri Lanka takes next step to opening strategic China-built port

[Skyline]

* China's growing influence in Sri Lanka worries India

* Proper bunkering operations at the port start in June

* Hambantota is set to be Sri Lanka's biggest port

By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, March 4 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will start storing bunker fuel at the $1.5 billion Hambantota port in June, a senior official said, after years of delays to the Chinese-built installation that sits on strategic shipping lanes, and a key step to making it commercially viable.

The state-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) originally had plans to open the facility for ship fuel in May 2011, six months after President Mahinda Rajapaksa launched the port in his home town on his 65th birthday.

"We are about to get the test samples in March. Then we will do the trials. After that we will start proper bunkering operation in June," Priyath Wickrama, chairman of the SLPA told Reuters in an interview.

The $130 million storage project contains eight tanks of bunker oil for ships and six tanks of aviation fuel and LPG.

The port is envisioned as a refuelling and service point for cargo ships which pass a few kilometres away off the southern tip of the Indian Ocean island nation, on one of the world's busiest East-West shipping lanes.

The growing influence of China in Sri Lanka has worried India, a neighbour that feels hemmed in by a string of similar port developments stretching from Myanmar to Pakistan and that it fears give the Chinese navy a strategic boost in the region. However, the ports are designed for commercial operations and are mostly not yet fully operational.

China has lent $400 million for the first phase of the new port in Hambantota and another $810 million has been given for the second phase with China Communications Construction Company as the contractor.

Wickrama said the expected handling volume in 2013 is about 45,000 metric tonnes (mt) of ship fuel, rising to 125,000 mt in 2015. China Exim Bank has loaned $77 million for the terminal, which the ports authority will operate.

full article: RPT-Sri Lanka takes next step to opening strategic China-built port | Reuters

 

[Spring Onion]

wonderful.

China is silent and peacful progressing power.

 

[Skyline]

Hambantota International Airport is about to open in March 18th this month, too.

Ayubowan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mHIpGaCT8JI

 

[Gibbs]

^^^^

The Airport is nothing but a white elephant just to entertain the ego of a despot!! Just like that edifice Suriyawewa stadium in the middle of nowhere...Nothing to be proud of..Generations of future Lankans will have to pay China the huge loans this corrupt tyrannical regime has imposed on the country

 

[Supply&Demand]

India has to be very careful.. If found that, China is using that port for anti-india activities..we will have to act accordingly...

 

[Skyline]

India has to be very careful.. If found that, China is using that port for anti-india activities..we will have to act accordingly...

No Chinese naval base yet...! Sometimes may be around 2020-2022.

 

[Supply&Demand]

No Chinese naval base yet...! Sometimes may be around 2020-2022.

India is not worried about a Chinese Naval base.. Unless some idiot is sitting in Chinese naval strategy room, China will not build a naval base in Srilanka. In case of any hostilities between India and China, this naval base would be a sitting duck, unless Srilanka will fight alongside China against India . What Indians are worried about is a Chinese listening post. In that case, India will do what it had done after Srilanka supported Pakistan during 1971 Indo-pak war and invited USA to setup a naval base in Srilanka .

 

[Pandora]

India is not worried about a Chinese Naval base.. Unless some idiot is sitting in Chinese naval strategy room, China will not build a naval base in Srilanka. In case of any hostilities between India and China, this naval base would be a sitting duck, unless Srilanka will fight alongside China against India . What Indians are worried about is a Chinese listening post. In that case, India will do what it had done after Srilanka supported Pakistan during 1971 Indo-pak war and invited USA to setup a naval base in Srilanka .

No offense where did you get that stupid idea. Russian base in syria has no support from outside. Do you think omanis can fight for americans if their naval base will be attacked. What you are saying is completely illogical. Every naval base has some sort of air support. Secondly this is a medium/long term plan. Such bases can be expanded with time slowly.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Our policy is "no overseas military bases".

Even in 2011 Pakistan asked us to build a Naval base at Gwadar, but we turned it down.

Financial Times - Pakistan turns to China for naval base

May 22, 2011 7:46 pm

“We have asked our Chinese brothers to please build a naval base at Gwadar,” Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, Pakistan’s defence minister, told the Financial Times, confirming that the request was conveyed to China during a visit last week by Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister.

That was back in May 2011.

Or policy is still no overseas military bases.

 

[Armstrong]

Our policy is "no overseas military bases".

Even in 2011 Pakistan asked us to build a Naval base at Gwadar, but we turned it down.

Financial Times - Pakistan turns to China for naval base



That was back in May 2011.

Or policy is still no overseas military bases.

Dude that was little more than Mukhtar's verbal diarrhea...do you think the Pakistani Establishment & the Civilian Executive are stupid enough to exclaim to all & sundry that we're going to have the Chinese or anyone else build a military base on Pakistani soil ? Since then that idiot has been quite fortunately replaced with a better Defense Minister.

And this is all the time assuming Pakistan would allow a bona fide Military Base on Pakistani soil as opposed to Chinese, American, Saudi or XYZ presence on one of our bases.

 

[Pandora]

India in my opinion is getting isolated in the region due to its own aggressive policies towards its neighbors. They should learn something from china and extend a hand of friendship to every one rather than being arrogant. India seriously lacks a long term planning whereas china on the other hand is helping its neighbor apart from its own strategic planning.

 

[Supply&Demand]

No offense where did you get that stupid idea. Russian base in syria has no support from outside. Do you think omanis can fight for americans if their naval base will be attacked. What you are saying is completely illogical. Every naval base has some sort of air support. Secondly this is a medium/long term plan. Such bases can be expanded with time slowly.

first understand..the naval base in hambantota would be suicidal as it will be facing the whole of Indian naval assets in Southern India in case of hostilities...and no matter how much air power China will have in Srilanka it will be not enough to counter Indian armed forces assets under Southern Command unless they receive support from other Chinese military assets quickly, it will be overrun. China will never have a completely isolated naval base unless it can guarantee support to that naval base in case of emergency. btw ur example of Oman is not correct here, as India here is not Oman and Indian navy has nearly 200 warships in and around bay of bengal, arabian sea and Indian ocean

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Dude that was little more than Mukhtar's verbal diarrhea...do you think the Pakistani Establishment & the Civilian Executive are stupid enough to exclaim to all & sundry that we're going to have the Chinese or anyone else build a military base on Pakistani soil ? Since then that idiot has been quite fortunately replaced with a better Defense Minister.

And this is all the time assuming Pakistan would allow a bona fide Military Base on Pakistani soil as opposed to Chinese, American, Saudi or XYZ presence on one of our bases.

According to the official statement, it was not just the defence minister but the prime minister too?

 

[Supply&Demand]

Our policy is "no overseas military bases".

Even in 2011 Pakistan asked us to build a Naval base at Gwadar, but we turned it down.

Financial Times - Pakistan turns to China for naval base



That was back in May 2011.

Or policy is still no overseas military bases.

offcourse not...these are all ifs and buts...Even if China has a policy of forward military bases..in this particular place, having a listening post will be much more advantageous

 

[INDIAISM]

India in my opinion is getting isolated in the region due to its own aggressive policies towards its neighbors. They should learn something from china and extend a hand of friendship to every one rather than being arrogant. India seriously lacks a long term planning whereas china on the other hand is helping its neighbor apart from its own strategic planning.

Yes we should start learning from china...Let start by claiming Arabian Sea,Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.....