Namal Rajapaksa, minister of youth and sports and state minister of digital technology and enterprise development, addresses the Sea Horse Yachts project agreement signing ceremony in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, Aug. 9, 2021. Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port (HIP) signed a 58-million-U.S. dollar deal with Maldivian company Sea Horse Yachts on Monday to assemble and export yachts from HIP's industrial park. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)
HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port (HIP) signed a 58-million-U.S. dollar deal with Maldivian company Sea Horse Yachts on Monday to assemble and export yachts from HIP's industrial park.
Namal Rajapaksa, minister of youth and sports and state minister of digital technology and enterprise development, told Xinhua that the project would be a stepping stone for bigger investments in the local maritime industry, and for establishing Sri Lanka as a yacht-building nation.
He later tweeted that the project is expected to generate 500 jobs.
Rajapaksa said that the Hambantota Port was fully equipped with all the infrastructure needed to attract investment, and that the government was working on improving the ease of doing business and expanding technical and vocational training for the maritime sector.
Johnson Liu, CEO of Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), said that the industrial park has signed deals with over 30 investors from countries including Sri Lanka, Britain, Singapore, Japan, China and the Maldives.
The HIP is operated by HIPG, which is a joint-venture between China Merchants Port and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. Enditem
