COLOMBO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government will take steps to recruit more crane operators to work in ports, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva said on Wednesday.
He told the first meeting of the ministerial consultative committee on ports, shipping and aviation that in many countries women work as crane operators in ports.
"Sri Lanka too has female crane operators. But only a few. We need to recruit more soon," he said.
The minister also instructed officials to expand operations of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and to increase efficiency.
"Colombo is one of the busiest ports in Asia, but we need to expand if we are to compete with other countries who are spending a lot of money on infrastructure," he said. ■