Colombo, Nov 22 (IANS): Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port (HIP) announced that it has become the South Asian country's first port to comply to internationally-recognized integrated management system standards.

The port located in southern Sri Lanka said in a statement on Sunday that it has received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation on quality, environmental protection, and occupational health and safety standards after a process starting in January and an external audit conducted by Bureau Veritas Lanka in July, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ravi Jayawickrame, CEO of Hambantota International Port Services Company, said the accreditation will help "boost marketing and sales efforts and enhance and improve employee performance".

It "reinforces our commitment to protect the environment and maintain sustainability and to protect the workplace, which will prevent work related injury and ill-health and provides further incentive to continually improve our working conditions", Jayawickrame added.

The Hambantota Port was opened on November 18, 2010, and is Sri Lanka's second largest after the Port of Colombo.