by Xinhua writers Chen Dongshu, Wu Yue, Xu Han
COLOMBO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- When M.F.M Fairoz, a senior lecturer of Ocean University of Sri Lanka, made a phone call to Hambantota International Port, he was originally looking for samples of sea urchin-related pathogens for a new research topic.
"We don't have that sort of specimen, but we have corals growing. So you come and see them," Jeevan Premasara, senior general manager of human resources and administration at Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), replied on the other end of the line.
Hambantota Port, a Belt and Road cooperation project jointly built by China and Sri Lanka, is a comprehensive man-made deep-water port located at the southern tip of Sri Lanka. Fairoz, a native of Hambantota, is familiar with these waters and long accustomed to the industrial landscape of the deep-water harbor, with its quay cranes and busy shipping traffic. The idea that corals were growing there seemed somewhat counter-intuitive. He immediately decided to put on his diving gear and see for himself.
"At first, I saw the corals from the surface near the breakwater. But when I actually dived down, the scene was even more astonishing -- it was like a living coral wall," Fairoz said.
He said that over the past 20 years, he has conducted long-term monitoring in multiple marine areas around Sri Lanka, yet had never seen such a vivid, healthy and balanced living system. He later secured research funding from his university, while the port also provided necessary support for the team. In February 2025, Fairoz and his students formally launched field observations and research on the corals at Hambantota Port.
After months of study, Fairoz's team found that the coral cover in the relevant waters of Hambantota Port was about 35 percent. Against a global backdrop in which coral reefs in many places continue to decline due to pollution, overfishing and other pressures, the figure was highly encouraging to him. In comparison with surveys conducted during the same period at four other sites in southern Sri Lanka, the team also recorded 20 coral reef fish species that were observed only in the Hambantota study area.
"This place is like a biobank," Fairoz said. In the limited underwater space around the port, corals, fish and other organisms together form a complete and active living system -- a natural mesocosm with significant ecological and scientific value.
Fairoz said corals are cnidarians belonging to the diploblastic line of life, much older than triploblastic animals such as humans. "They are like older people," he said. "They can sense danger earlier." For that reason, corals are often regarded as important indicators of changes in the marine environment. The question, then, is why they are able to maintain such a balanced and thriving state in an industrial port.
Part of the answer lies in the relatively limited fishing disturbance in the port area, as well as HIPG's long-standing and strict environmental management practices. According to Fairoz, the port maintains high operational efficiency to minimize vessel idling time and the length of ship stays, while ship-generated waste is collected and treated on shore in a centralized way, reducing direct impacts on surrounding waters. Such measures help prevent excessive algae and bacterial growth, thereby maintaining ecological balance among corals, fish and algae.
Fairoz added that Hambantota faces the open Indian Ocean, where hydrodynamic conditions are favorable. Strong water exchange and sufficient oxygen help bring in coral larvae. The man-made breakwater at the port, meanwhile, provides suitable surfaces for settlement and favorable light conditions, giving those larvae the opportunity to attach and grow. In just over a decade, that process has helped form what he calls a remarkable "coral wall."
"That is also why I call this a green port," Fairoz said. In his view, Hambantota Port values sustainable operations, and a clean marine environment is precisely what allows such a sensitive coral system to persist.
As the phased study findings attracted wider attention, research on the port's coral ecology has also gained broader academic interest. Fairoz said that fewer than five students were involved at the beginning of the project, while more than 20 have now expressed interest in joining the research team. Five other higher education institutions in Sri Lanka have also approached him about possible cooperation.
He is also planning to attend an international symposium on coral reefs in New Zealand in July this year, where he will introduce the research findings from Hambantota Port.
The next stage of the research is already sitting in his office. Among marine specimens of all sizes, a small "coral nursery" device stands out. Fairoz said his team is trying to use special materials to attract coral larvae to settle, with pilot testing planned first in the waters of Hambantota Port. In the future, such methods may be used in ecological restoration elsewhere. He believes the corals at Hambantota Port could also become a new entry point for the development of a local "blue economy," linking artificial reefs, biotechnology research, public education and eco-tourism.
"What this port has brought us is not only economic development, but also a window through which we can observe marine life," Premasara said. From infrastructure construction to marine ecological protection, from port operations to scientific cooperation, the underwater "bio bank" at Hambantota Port is becoming yet another vivid example of how a Belt and Road project jointly built by China and Sri Lanka is integrating into local scientific research, education and sustainable development. ■
