During the first 4 months of 2021, the Hambantota Port recorded an increase in their Roll on? Roll off (RORO) figures, compared to the same period last year.
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propeller modular transporter.
Figures for vehicle shipments stood at 193,690 in the first quarter of 2021, compared to recorded figures of 118,872 vehicles in the first quarter of 2020.
RORO figures peaked in April ( recording 62,736 vehicles), compared to December 2020 and January 2021.
Operations are now being carried out under Covid-19 health guidelines.
Main shipping lines include:
- NYK
- Hyundai Glovis
- Eastern Car Carrier lines
- MOL
- SEALS Japan
- Kline
- Hoegh
- ZIM
It is significant that the port has been selected as a viable destination by major global shipping lines.Tissa Wickramasinghe, COO of Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) commented saying that this was a result of the “efficiency and reliability of the port”, combined with the attention paid to quality and safety, while adhering to global standards of China Merchants Port Holding Company.
The main ports of discharge for shipments are:
- Durban (SA)
- Rotterdam (Netherlands)
- Le Havre (France).
- San Antonio (US)
- Veracruz (Mexico)
The main ports of loading of RORO cargo arriving for transshipment at the Hambantota Port are:
- Gunsan and Pyeongtaek in South Korea
- Mundra
- Chennai
- Ennore in India
