Hong Kong – Atkins has been appointed by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to assess the opportunity of incorporating a marina into the proposed 2.5 square kilometres mixed use Colombo Port City development in Sri Lanka. The study is multifaceted and will establish the overall demand for marina facilities, the size of the marina, appropriate berthing mix and seek to optimise its configuration. The study will include the hydraulic modelling of the effect of the marina breakwater on the near shore coastal conditions and the adjacent Beira Lake stormwater outlet.

Philip Chiang, Atkins’ project director, said: “We are very pleased to work with CHEC on this project, the first major project under our memorandum of understanding for global strategic cooperation with China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) and our global cooperation agreement with CHEC signed in April this year. It shows our strong commitment to work strategically with each other to unlock more opportunities for all parties both in China and abroad.”

A multidisciplinary team of economists, urban planners, urban designers, marina designers and water and coastal engineers from Atkins’ Asia Pacific and UK businesses is involved in the project, which will focus on three key areas:

• a market study of the marina sector in the region to estimate current and future levels of demand for sailing and motor boat facilities and to identify the boat types, sizes and traffic expected at the marina. Atkins is working closely with a number of internationally renowned marina operators to ensure the outcomes of the work are realistic and implementable.
• a layout plan for the marina which maximises the capacity and efficiency of berths based on the market study as well as a concept plan for the landside facilities such as a club house, boat storage, maintenance and repair workshops along with commercial activities in retail, residential and hotel accommodation.
• a concept design of the breakwater to provide an active and attractive setting for the marina facilities.