Logistics International, the inland container depot of Hayleys Advantis, commissioned a purpose built 3,500TEU inland container depot spread across 5.5 acres in Sedawatte, Colombo, recently. With a 6 acre, 3,000 TEU depot already in operation in Welisara, this move more than doubles the company’s overall container handling capacity.

“We are excited to dedicate the Sedawatte Container Depot to the nation at a time when Sri Lanka is steadily transforming into South Asia’s logistics hub. As a key element of the Advantis Group’s overall growth strategy, infrastructure investments such as this help us scale up our depot services and stay a step ahead of the market,” said Prasanna Samarasinghe, Director – Logistics International.

The ISO 9001:2008 compliant Sedawatte depot is strategically located in close proximity to the Colombo Port to offer faster transit and turnaround times translating into greater convenience and savings for clients. It houses a container maintenance and repair facility with a capacity of 110TEU per day and is also capable of servicing its container handling equipment. It runs a tailor made Depot Management System and a unique Container Tracking System - a first for a container depot in the country.

Managed by a highly experienced team of logistics professionals, Logistics International enlists the services of 15 Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL) certified Container Inspectors, the highest at any facility in the island, to closely monitor the loading and unloading process and inspect containers for sea-worthiness.

With a floodlight system that allow uninterrupted flow of operations around the clock, containers can be inspected at the facility’s Light Leak Test Bay even at night. The company has also set up a water treatment plant within the premises, in a bid to ensure that the water released from the yard, meets all environmental guidelines.

Logistics International Limited is the inland container depot facility of Hayleys Advantis Limited, the transportation and logistics arm of Hayleys PLC. With its ever growing end-to-end logistics portfolio in Sri Lanka and other regional markets, the Group is making further investments towards infrastructure development to support the country’s drive to establish itself as South Asia’s logistics hub.

Mr. Ruwan Waidyaratne, Managing Director of Hayleys Advantis Limited (left) and Mr. Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC cut the ribbon at the ceremonial opening of Logistics International’s inland container depot in Sedawatte, Colombo