{"id":156993,"date":"2026-06-28T14:54:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T21:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=156993"},"modified":"2026-06-28T14:54:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T21:54:57","slug":"can-sri-lanka-afford-to-wait-for-tricomalee-port-development-the-article-published-today-28-june-in-sunday-observer-having-largest-circulation-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/06\/28\/can-sri-lanka-afford-to-wait-for-tricomalee-port-development-the-article-published-today-28-june-in-sunday-observer-having-largest-circulation-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"*Can Sri Lanka afford to wait for Tricomalee Port Development* The article published today 28 June in *Sunday Observer* , having largest circulation in Sri Lanka.\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.sundayobserver.lk\/2026\/06\/28\/business\/79914\/can-sri-lanka-afford-to-wait-for-trincomalee-port-development<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical overview <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trincomalee Must Become Sri Lanka\u2019s Offshore Industry Capital \u2013 Not Just Another Commercial Port<\/strong>
The current debate on Trincomalee Port development has largely centred on logistics, container handling, oil storage, industrial zones, and real estate. While these sectors are important, they alone will not maximise the strategic and economic value of one of the world\u2019s finest natural harbours.
Sri Lanka should adopt a broader vision by developing Trincomalee as a regional offshore engineering, ship repair, and floating energy infrastructure hub.
A Multi-Billion Dollar Global Industry
Across the world, hundreds of offshore assets require periodic maintenance, conversion, and upgrading. These include:
\u25cf Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels
\u25cf Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU)
\u25cf Offshore drilling rigs
\u25cf Production platforms
\u25cf Offshore support vessels
\u25cf Large crude oil tankers requiring life extension
\u25cf Wind farm installation vessels
Many ageing Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Ultra Large Crude Carriers can be economically converted into FPSOs instead of being scrapped. Such conversions generate contract values ranging from several hundred million to over a billion US dollars depending on the scope.
Why Trincomalee?
Unlike constructing an entirely new shipyard, many offshore repair and conversion activities can initially be undertaken using:
\u25cf Deep natural anchorage
\u25cf Floating docks
\u25cf Heavy lift barges
\u25cf Modular fabrication yards
\u25cf Existing oil tank facilities
\u25cf Temporary construction berths
This significantly reduces capital investment while allowing operations to commence much earlier.
Skilled Employment
One FPSO conversion project employs thousands of personnel, including:
\u25cf Naval architects
\u25cf Marine engineers
\u25cf Welders
\u25cf Pipe fabricators
\u25cf Electricians
\u25cf Instrument technicians
\u25cf NDT inspectors
\u25cf Coating specialists
\u25cf Crane operators
\u25cf Divers
\u25cf Offshore safety personnel
\u25cf Project managers
These are exactly the high-income technical jobs Sri Lanka should be creating for its youth.
Integrating Education with Industry
Trincomalee should not merely host industrial facilities; it should become Sri Lanka\u2019s centre for offshore engineering education.
Vocational institutes, universities, and engineering faculties should establish specialised programmes in:
\u25cf Offshore welding
\u25cf Subsea engineering
\u25cf Dynamic positioning systems
\u25cf Marine electrical systems
\u25cf Offshore safety (OPITO standards)
\u25cf Rope access
\u25cf NDT inspection
\u25cf Offshore fabrication
\u25cf Renewable offshore energy
Students should graduate with internationally recognised certifications, making Sri Lanka an exporter of skilled manpower.
Synergy with the Energy Hub
The proposed oil storage facilities, bunkering operations, pipelines, and future refinery should be integrated with:
\u25cf FPSO maintenance
\u25cf Offshore logistics
\u25cf Rig lay-up and preservation
\u25cf Marine fuel services
\u25cf Offshore supply bases
\u25cf Wind farm component fabrication
Rather than functioning as isolated projects, these facilities should support an integrated offshore industrial ecosystem.
A Neutral Indian Ocean Service Centre
Sri Lanka occupies a politically neutral and geographically strategic location between the Middle East, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
Offshore operators frequently seek alternative repair locations when existing yards are congested or affected by geopolitical tensions. Trincomalee could become a preferred destination for repair, retrofitting, and offshore engineering services.
The Way Forward
The Government should immediately invite Expressions of Interest from internationally recognised offshore engineering companies, FPSO operators, ship repair firms, classification societies, and heavy engineering investors.
Public-private partnerships can minimise Government expenditure while attracting technology, management expertise, and global clients.
The objective should not merely be to develop another port, but to establish South Asia\u2019s premier offshore engineering and floating energy infrastructure hub.
If this opportunity is missed, neighbouring countries will continue to capture these high-value industries while Sri Lanka remains dependent on traditional port services and low-value logistics.
Trincomalee has all the natural advantages. What is required now is the vision to transform those advantages into a globally competitive offshore industrial economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https:\/\/www.sundayobserver.lk\/2026\/06\/28\/business\/79914\/can-sri-lanka-afford-to-wait-for-trincomalee-port-development Critical overview  Trincomalee Must Become Sri Lanka\u2019s Offshore Industry Capital \u2013 Not Just Another Commercial PortThe current debate on Trincomalee Port development has largely centred on logistics, container handling, oil storage, industrial zones, and real estate. While these sectors are important, they alone will not maximise the strategic and economic value […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156994,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156993\/revisions\/156994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}