Sri Lanka to buy two Chinese ships for $70m

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka plans to purchase two cargo vessels at a cost of $70 million from a Chinese company to rejuvenate the oldest State-run shipping company, an official said on Wednesday.

The powerful Cabinet of Ministers have approved a proposal put forward by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping to purchase two Bulk Carriers for the Ceylon Shipping Corporation Ltd (CSCL).

The purchase of the two ships has been recommended by the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee (CANC).

The Cabinet authorized the government to instruct the Director General of the Department of External Resources to finalize formalities of loan arrangements to purchase the ships.

The two 64,000-ton bulk carriers will be purchased from China at a cost of $70 million, Cabinet spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters.

The ships will also be used to train Sri Lankan crew, the minister added.

"We will use these two ships to revive the shipping corporation as well as increase the training of our seamen, who are in great demand overseas," he noted.

The two Chinese vessels are to be delivered within two years.

CSCL is a reputed shipping agency in Sri Lanka and engages in import and export trade.

The government appointed the Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage as the new Chairman of Ceylon Shipping Corporation in October 2013.