South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt) Ltd (SAGT), Sri Lanka’s first Public Private Partnership Container Terminal was awarded the “Container Terminal with Best Safety Practices” and the “Best Container Terminal for Environment Protection Initiatives” at the Global Ports Forum Awards 2023.
SAGTs sustainability strategy is focused on addressing topics that are material to the organization’s business operations. The awards are a testament to SAGT’s commitment to its four pillared sustainability strategy inclusive of environmental stewardship and enabling a work environment focused on health and safety, wellbeing and security.
Health and safety are a priority at SAGT and are embedded into the company’s core value system. SAGT’s health and safety strategy encompasses both the long terms health and wellbeing of its employees and workplace safety. Every year the company invests in an annual health check-up for its employees. In addition to this SAGT conducts multiple awareness sessions for its staff focusing on both physical health and mental wellbeing to raise awareness and educate employees on the importance of maintaining good health and wellbeing.
SAGT strives for zero accidents in the workplace fostering a culture of safety taking every precaution to maintain a safe working environment for its employees. The company continuously strives to improve its safety conditions and achieved an 87.5% reduction in the number of recordable injuries in the FY 2021/2022 in comparison to FY 2020/2021.
Training and development of employees is a major facet of fostering and maintaining SAGTs safety centric culture. SAGT develops an annual training plan which identifies and caters to the training need of each individual employee. The Company also conducts safety training programs for third party contractors. SAGT to date remains the only container terminal within the Port of Colombo to implement safety cages for safe lashing operations. The Company also invested in a hazardous cargo leaking Hazardous Cargo leaking bay to handle leaking dangerous cargo in a responsible manner.
SAGT consciously and actively drives its business operations to promote a better environment. SAGT’s initiative to hybridize its Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes has resulted in reduced fossil fuel emissions through RTG operation which contributes to SAGTs goal of decarbonizing operations under its comprehensive energy and emissions policy.
Moving beyond the confines of the terminal, SAGT’s efforts in the reforestation and thereby restoration of degraded land area contributes to offsetting the Company’s carbon footprint. At present SAGT is engaged in reforesting and maintaining 5 acres of the Yagirala Forest Reserve in Partnership with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. SAGT also entered into a partnership with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to plant mangroves on five acres of land in the Benthara River Mangrove Reserve. Once these forests reach maturity, they are estimated to collectively offset 22% of SAGTs current annual carbon footprint in an approximate period of a decade.
SAGT also has in place a waste management policy that ensures the responsible disposal of waste with no adverse impacts to the environment. The Company also has in place a stringent water management policy to reduce and optimize water usage within the terminal.
Receiving the award on behalf of SAGT, Ms Udara Cumaratunga, Senior Manager Commercial and Marketing stated “I’m honoured to be receiving this award on behalf of Team SAGT. SAGT is committed to its sustainability strategy that encompasses its safety and environmental protection initiatives and will continue to invest in and develop its sustainability initiatives We are grateful to the Global Ports Forum for recognizing our commitment in the areas of Best Safety Practices and Environment Protection initiatives.
