Govt to transform transshipment business - Speaker

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that the National Government will take steps to develop the maritime and shipping industry and added that it has decided to develop all ports around the island to attract foreign direct investment and to transform the transshipment business into a great maritime economy by attracting global business to use the South Asian megapolis to service more areas of the global shipping and logistics industry. The Speaker who was the Chief Guest at the Colombo International Maritime Conference-2 said that the infrastructure development in the port sector has been ongoing and the Government is very focused on facilitating and promoting Sri Lanka as a logistics hub.

The Maritime Conference has become an international event with industry experts from Sri Lanka as well as overseas making presentations and participating in panel discussions.

This is indeed very encouraging keeping in mind the efforts made by the Government and the industry in promoting Sri Lanka as a regional hub.

Speaker Jayasuriya said the Port of Colombo has seen a volume growth of 11 percent year on year.

This is indeed a formidable growth considering that other hub ports are experiencing very marginal growth. The positioning and developing of Sri Lanka as a Maritime Hub in the South Asian Region is of utmost importance keeping in mind the geographic advantage we have. With Sri Lanka becoming a Service Oriented Economy, it is of utmost importance that all stakeholder join hands in pushing Sri Lanka to become the Logistics Hub for the South Asian Region.