The technical assistance was to examine the technical, economic, financial, environmental and institutional feasibility of developing the South Harbor in the Port of Colombo. The results were presented in a project preparation study reviewing (i) the staged construction of seawalls and breakwaters; (ii) channel deepening and widening; (iii), reclamation and quay wall construction (for reasons of homogeneity, quality and economies of scale) and (iv) establishment of a common road facility for all container terminals.
The scope of the TA, comprised (i) a review of demands and constraints on the Port of Colombo by analyzing and forecasting regional and national traffic, and defining port land-use patterns and constraints, (ii) an engineering study including additional field investigations and mathematical modeling, (iii) development of alternative plans by evaluating traffic distribution and capacities, identifying construction phases and different scenarios and analyzing alternatives, (iv) provision of primary design and cost estimates for each proposed investment alternative, (v) economic and financial evaluation of each alternative including sensitivity and risk analyses, (vi) selection of the optimal development alternative through comparison of cost-benefit ratios and economic rates of return, (vii) a detailed physical plan with a capital expenditure program and final design report, (viii) procedures for allocating terminals to private operators, and, (ix) an environmental impact of construction and operation and identifying and estimating the cost of any related mitigation measures
