Delo Group mulls building container hub in Sri Lanka - Shishkarev

MOSCOW. April 18 (Interfax) - Delo Group is exploring the possibility of establishing a container hub in Sri Lanka, the Russian transport and logistics group's co-owner Sergei Shishkarev said in an interview with national daily Kommersant published on Thursday.

"Under a separate instruction, we are actively exploring the construction of a container hub in Sri Lanka. These are serious plans for the possible construction of a new port terminal to handle, transship containers in Sri Lanka. I think it's possible to attract partners from DP World and AD Ports," Shishkarev said.

The terminal would have capacity to handle at least 10 million TEU of containerized cargo, he said.

Delo Group is also considering projects to build logistics centers in North Africa, Shishkarev said, adding that there are plans for terminals in Egypt, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Delo Group also plans to propose a project to build railways in Africa, he said. "We have plans to propose the construction of a railway 'Orthodox cross' - cross Africa horizontally through Ethiopia to the western coast, see whether to do part of a trans-African road from Egypt to South Africa or from Egypt through the Central African Republic, build sections, perhaps several, that will tie the transport carcass together. And develop transport infrastructure," Shishkarev said.

As part of the strategy it is developing to 2035, which among other things calls for creating a vertically integrated grain company, Delo Group wants to establish a presence "in the elevator and warehouse business, in places where grain is consumed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and, possibly, Nigeria and Ethiopia," Shishkarev said.