South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT), Sri Lanka’s first Public Private Partnership container terminal, published its sustainability report for 2023/24. Centred around the theme “Collaborating for Tomorrow”, this is SAGT’s fifth consecutive report and is published during its milestone 25th year in operations.
SAGT was the first terminal in the Port of Colombo (PoC) to publish a sustainability report aligned with globally accredited reporting standards and remains the only terminal to do so to date. The report captures the Company’s leadership towards sustainability and presents its sustainability performance for the related period.
Increasing impact from climate change has raised the urgency for organisations to decarbonise. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has mandated the international shipping industry to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. As a key player within the maritime landscape, SAGT is focussed on reaching net zero ahead of the IMO target.
Over the past five years (2019/20 to 2023/24), SAGT achieved a 36 percent reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, through substantial investment in capital and leading-edge technology. This reduced the Company’s GHG intensity per container move by 28 percent from 21.8kg CO2eq in 2019/20 to 15.6 kg CO2eq in 2023/24.
The reduction is largely by implementing a hybrid power conversion in 22 Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTGs) Cranes. The hybridisation process replaced the erstwhile genset with a battery bank and smaller genset improving the machine’s fuel efficiency and reducing its carbon emissions by over 50 percent.
Due to a seven percent uptick in container volumes in 2023/24 in comparison to 2022/23, SAGT’s total carbon footprint increased by eight percent although the GHG intensity (kgCO2eq/ box move) continued to fall and saw a marginal reduction of 0.1 percent. To accelerate progress towards net zero, the Company will convert six more RTGs to hybrid technology. In the year ahead, SAGT will also invest in electrification and renewable energy to power segments of its operations.
The Company will electrify 30 Prime Mover Trucks (PMs) out of a fleet of 80. SAGT will also install rooftop solar that will generate about seven percent of the current electricity usage. Keeping true to being a leader in adapting green technology, SAGT is exploring green hydrogen as an alternative fuel for powering terminal equipment.
Being conscious of water usage, SAGT employs a submetering network to track and reduce consumption. The Sewer Treatment Plant (STP) is being upgraded to allow reuse of treated effluent for terminal activities.
The Company is looking to reuse water desalinated onboard vessels through an initiative between Maersk Line and SAGT. Maersk Line ships are fitted with a single stage desalination freshwater generator. The desalination process produces more fresh water than required for shipboard use. A sample of this excess desalinated freshwater was discharged at SAGT under a pilot project for re-use at the terminal, reducing SAGT’s need for natural water withdrawal by about two percent based on one tank-tainer of 25,000 litres per week.
Diversity and equal opportunity remain a core priority for SAGT. The Company introduced a paternity leave policy aiming to create a fair and equitable working environment while fostering the same principles beyond the workplace. In May 2023, SAGT became a partner of the United Nations Global Compact Network (UNGC) underscoring the commitment to working towards achieving global sustainable development goals and also became a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles of the United Nations Women and UNGC, publicly declaring its commitment towards gender equality.
SAGT will also continue to digitalise and automate its processes for heightened efficiency and more sustainable operations. The Company launched phase one of a digital Safety Management System (SMS). This integrated platform will further improve management of Key Performance Indicators related to Occupational Health and Safety.
SAGT will implement a Vehicle Booking System for trucks to maximise efficiency and improve ease of doing business for stakeholders. The implementation and infrastructure development of an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology at the gate and quayside too is in the pipeline.
SAGT, in a corporate social responsibility initiative, spent Rs. 185 million to supply 75 MT of milk powder towards re-starting the stalled “Thriposha” nutritional program of the Government, catering to needy pregnant and lactating mothers and children aged six months to five years.
