Port of Puttalam

Puttalam’s offshore coal handling operation supplies the Lakvijaya power station at Norochcholai. The anchorage and plant jetty form a specialised supply chain for electricity generation on the west coast, linking imported fuel with the station’s shore facilities.

Coal arrives aboard bulk carriers and is transferred into self-propelled barges using the larger vessels’ cranes. The barges then carry it to the power station jetty. This intermediate transfer, known as lightering, is a defining feature of the port’s operation.

Lanka Coal Company’s supply documents distinguish the ocean delivery to Puttalam anchorage from the subsequent barge movement handled by Ceylon Shipping Corporation. The offshore transfer area and the plant’s receiving jetty therefore perform complementary roles in the same industrial transport system.