COLOMBO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese company constructed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in the Hambantota Port in the south of Sri Lanka has come to mechanical completion.
The LPG terminal is invested by one of Sri Lanka's largest LPG distributors, LAUGFS, and constructed by China Huanqiu contracting & Engineering Co., LTD, subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.
LAUGFS Chairman, W. K. H. Wagapitiya said Friday that the LPG terminal in Hambantota would bring tremendous economic benefits to Sri Lanka, and make a difference in improving Sri Lankan people's livelihood.
Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan also welcomed the completion of the project, saying it is another success in the China-Sri Lanka cooperation in the Hambantota area under China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The LPG terminal in Sri Lanka's Hambantota is the largest of its kind in the Indian Ocean region with a total storage exceeding 60,000 cubic meters.
In recent years, Sri Lanka and China have been strengthening cooperation in the island country's Hambantota area. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority and China Merchants Port Holdings last year signed an agreement to co-run the Hambantota Port.
In addition to the port, plans are also underway to develop an industrial zone close to the Hambantota Port premises.