News
State-of-the-art petroleum test facility for H’tota Int’l port
The Hambantota International Port (HIP) will partner Intertek Lanka (Pvt) Ltd to establish a state-of-the-art petroleum testing laboratory which will be unique to Sri Lanka. Through this facility, Intertek will provide innovative and bespoke assurance, testing, inspection and certification services.
Johnson Liu, CEO of HIPG says, “HIPG has great potential in energy services due to its location in the Indian Ocean rim, where 50% of the world’s maritime oil is traded. Our oil fuel bunker, LPG and future LNG operations are sure to cement HIP’s position as an energy hub in the region.”
In a virtual ceremony held this week, HIPG and Intertek Lanka (Pvt) Ltd signed an agreement for a 10-year partnership, which provides Intertek the opportunity to establish its services in the port.
“Petroleum testing is an important activity in port related services such as testing marine products, bunkering and bunker related inspections. Intertek helps to ensure that products meet quality, health, environmental safety and social accountability standards for virtually any market around the world, with our extensive global accreditations, recognitions and agreements. We look forward to working with the Hambantota Port which is ideally located to serve the east-west shipping routes,” says Priyantha De Silva, Country Managing Director of Intertek Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.
The leading global independent inspection service provider will bring all of its global capabilities to ensure the laboratory is classified as a truly international state-of-the-art facility which is capable of testing IMO 2020 global Sulphur protocol.
“This will be a great value addition to HIP’s offering and as we add more services for the shipping network on the main east-west shipping lanes, Hambantota Port will take its rightful place as a global maritime location,” says Tissa Wickramasinghe, COO, HIPG.
Intertek has earned a reputation for helping their customers increase the value of their products, gain competitive advantage, and develop trusted brands, minimizing adverse health and environmental impacts of the products and processes for the benefit of society as a whole.
This partnership will enable HIP’s clients to get their products such as fuel oil and marine diesel tested efficiently as the petroleum laboratory will be within the port premises. The new lab will also open up employment opportunities for the local community and provide exposure to laboratory operations of international standards.
Attending the virtual signing ceremony were HIPG CEO Johnson Liu, COO Tissa Wickramasinghe along with Intertek Regional Director Trade James Ignatovich, Regional Director Sales and Technical Support Stephen Harrington, Regional Managing Director Sandeep Das, Country Managing Director of Intertek Sri Lanka Priyantha de Silva and Regional CFO Ajay Kapoor from Intertek.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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