Sri Lanka: Female crane operators at Port of Colombo

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa

It is a remarkable story. They have earned exceptional life experience to narrate their precedential journey at this early age. The path they walk is an inspiration for female empowerment and gender balance, which is one of the most important goals for a sustainable society.


“Why don’t we go up and talk? Then we can prevent noises in the surroundings and you can see where we work. Are you afraid? It is just a few hundred feet above the ground,” one of the operators suggested, breaking the stereotype tradition embedded in society throughout history. 

Her energetic and confident voice showed her enthusiasm for this exciting duty in the workplace. Listening to them at where they work was the best option as it could gave us the real life experience of what they do.

Following her suggestion, we started climbing up through the yellow ladder made of thick iron bars. It took us a few minutes to reach an operational room of a rubber tyred gantry crane also known as transtainer.