Sri Lanka Ports Authority v. Pieris – sllr 1981 volume 1 page 101

In the case between SRI LANKA PORTS AUTHORITY and PIERIS, the court addressed the issue of whether the Minister’s authority under the Port (Cargo) Corporation Act extended to fixing demurrage charges, and whether such charges constituted part of the statutory “port services” or amounted to an unauthorized imposition. The court held that demurrage is an enhanced charge for the detention of port facilities and falls within the operative authority of the Minister as provided for under the Act. It was further determined that liability for demurrage charges arises based on the time of detention, with the delay attributed to the defendant’s lack of lorries for transport. This decision reaffirmed the principle that statutory construction should recognize Ministerial powers to set charges reasonab