The container congestion at the Colombo Port is expected to be cleared by today (22) if importers and their agents work cooperatively with Sri Lanka Customs and show up in order to clear their items, The Sunday Morning learns.
As of 12.30 p.m. yesterday (21), three passes for food containers were pending at the North Container Terminal (NCT) gate.
Meanwhile, a total of 258 passes were issued from Wednesday (18) to Saturday (21), with the highest number issued on Friday (136 passes) and the lowest – seven – being issued yesterday as of 12.30 p.m.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka Customs Media Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa noted that 30 containers out of those that had arrived on Wednesday still remained at the port due to importers being “uninterested in clearing during the weekend”.
According to Punchihewa, the tariff structure of the terminal follows a system which allows for three working days free of demurrage. This means containers that are landed from a ship on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday can all be cleared free of demurrage until Wednesday.
Therefore, Wednesdays are when the maximum number of containers are ready to be released from the port.
On a regular basis, around 350 containers are expected at the yards, with the terminal being able to manage up to 450 during peak times.
“Last week, there were some days on which 550 containers would be unloaded. Due to that, there was a small leftover amount of containers on days we couldn’t clear them all, which led to congestion,” he said.
He noted that the congestion had now subsided to a great extent, with the expectation of it being cleared up by the end of today.
Speaking on the matter, Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku said that the ministry had not been able to develop the necessary infrastructure such as inspection yards to streamline the clearing process yet.
“We are currently preparing to tender the Peliyagoda yard. Those projects must be completed to stop this congestion entirely. We are trying to bring the existing system to a certain level of efficiency through continuous ministry meetings. However, we will only be able to remove this bottleneck completely once the elevated highway is finished. Once we can transport goods through that, the issue will be fully resolved. Until then, we have to manage this congestion from time to time,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Managing Director Ganaka Hemachandra assured that there was no congestion on their end and that operations were continuing as usual.
Punchihewa also noted that the congestion issue prevailed at the Rank Container Terminals (RCT) in Orugodawatta, as that was where containers requiring Other Government Agency (OGA) approval were directed when being examined.
“The problem is not the volume of containers arriving. The agents say they work five days a week until dawn and they need a break on Saturday and Sunday. That is one of the main problems; there is no use in our being at the yard alone. Even if we clear 400–450 containers on a weekday, only about 200 containers are cleared on a Saturday. On Sunday, I don’t think even 100 containers get cleared.”
When examining the goods within the containers, either the importer or their representative must be present. Otherwise, if goods were to go missing on land or contraband were to be discovered within container contents, there would be no responsibility placed on them as the container had not been opened in their presence.
Additionally, the Container Transport Owners’ Association had reported congested traffic yesterday, although a report received prior from their yards had revealed a free road and the ability for 40 more containers to enter.
In order to clear up the confusion, a team from the Container Movement Monitoring Branch (CMMB) had visited the NCT gate and conducted surveillance up to the RCT gate, finding no container congestion between those gates.
“We prioritise clearing the road. There was a bit of congestion on the road recently, but we acted to minimise it as much as possible. This isn’t just a problem for importers and us; it affects the general public as everyone uses the road if we block it. I think anyone who is ready can take their containers out from the port terminals today or tomorrow. By the end of Sunday (22), any importers who want to can clear the existing stock,” he said, speaking to The Sunday Morning yesterday.
Punchihewa added that freezer containers which mostly carry food or medicine items and food containers were given priority for clearance, posing no risk in the degradation of perishable items.
He emphasised the importance of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme for compliant traders, in which Customs is able to gauge the compliance level and system of importers and traders. Those with high status in this programme can clear their goods within about two-and-a-half hours of unloading from the port if they are ready. As such, traders can increase their compliance level by setting up their systems accordingly.
Punchihewa explained: “We check the compliance level and history of the people working there. When we go to audit some companies, they don’t even have a stock register. Therefore, we cannot consider such people as compliant. When we perform a post-audit, we check the departure time from the terminal and arrival time at the trader. If we allow a container that belongs to a company that doesn’t have such a register, we cannot record that in the post-audit. We cannot provide facilities to those without records.”
As of now, nearly 100 companies receive the facility of fast-tracked clearing of containers due to the granting of an AEO Tier 1 status, a standard linked to World Customs Organization and international conventions.