At a time when the whole world is facing an economic down turn, the report 'Top 30 Container Ports in the World in 2008' published in the magazine 'Containerization International' recently, has placed Colombo Port in the 27th place among the best container ports of the world in the year 2008. This is due to the resulted achievement by the Port of' Colombo maintaining a growth of handling 0.31 million of TEUs in 2008, compared to 2007. In the year 2007 the Port of Colombo handled a total of 3.38 million TEUs and in the year 2008 it has been increased up to a total handling of 3.69 TEUs, a growth of 9.1 %.

Regional and other global ports such as Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Hamburg in Germany, Los Angeles, Long Beach and New York in the US and Dallan in China have shown only a negative growth during 2008 and have also lost their previous higher positions in the list of ranking. Although the global ports such as Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Busan, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Port Tanjung Pelepas, Xiaman, Tokyo, Janjung Priok, Jawaharal Nehru, Yokohama and Gioia Tauro have shown positive growth rates in the world ranking, they have all maintained a lower rate of growth compared to the port of Colombo in 2008. Only eight ports including Dubai, Ningbo - Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Port Klang, Bremen, Laem Chabang and Valencia have been able to exceed their growth rates against the growth rate of 9.1% of the Port of Colombo in 2008. Hence, the leading first five ports namely.

Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Busan that have positive growth rates in this ranking list have also been unable to exceed the growth rate of 9.1% maintained by the Port of Colombo.

Compared to these results all achievements acquired by the Port of Colombo under such pressurized world economic conditions are the results of long term contributions and dedications through a collective effort and team work of its human resource. Under the able guidance of the Minister of Port and Aviation Chamal Rajapaksa, recent measures taken to elevate the efficiency of human resource and other mechanisms implemented at Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and necessary steps taken to obtain new technology and necessary operating gear and  equipments have been directly resulted in the elevation of the TEU handling capacities successfully, in the port of Colombo.

The management of' SLPA commending the dedicated contribution of' all its human resource for the fruitful team work performed, has offered them with a number of modern and latest welfare facilities during recent times.

At present, a three year development plan has been initiated and implemented with the initiative of the Chairman of SLPA Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama at SLPA aiming better and higher efficiency and productivity levels at SLPA in all sectors of its operations. The total process has also won recognition and strengthened the reliability of the giant global shipping lines upon SLPA driving the whole port of Colombo towards a successful mission amidst this crisis.

At a time when the whole world has been hit by a giant economic down turn and the leading global ports are badly hit by their drastic drop of Container through puts, Port of Colombo has managed to be sustained, along with the effective measures implemented at SLPA with the initiative of its Chairman Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama and the management led by the Managing Director of SLPA Capt. Nihal Keppetipola encouraging the Port of Colombo to run efficiently maintaining a minimum loss of growth rates while effectively facing the future challenges of the global economic down turn.
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