COLOMBO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's southern Hambantota port is gearing up to become a leading port in the Indian Ocean region, a port official said on Monday.

CEO of the Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) Ravindra Jayawickreme said the location of the Hambantota port had always been extremely advantageous as it was located just a little less than half a nautical mile from the sea lanes.

"But what was necessary to push this into the limelight, was the right partnerships and this is what China Merchants Port Holdings brought to the table," Jayawickreme said.

China Merchants Port Holdings (CM Port) entered into partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in July last year to develop and manage the port.

Jayawickreme added that the Hambantota port was being developed into a multipurpose port, which will provide a variety of services such as handling containers, break bulk, roll-on/roll-off, passenger, oil, bulk terminal, gas and project cargo.

The port is slated to become one of a kind, as it will be the only port in the country designed to handle the full gamut of services in the maritime and logistics area, he explained.