Keep Abreast With the Exports and Exporters in Sri Lanka

The Presidential Export Awards, the highest and the most prestigious award presented by the President of Sri Lanka to exporters in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the export sector and to economic development of the country, will be held in September.

The logistics industry is reshaping and evolving its role to facilitate a new order of global trade, e-commerce and to reach out to the 21st century consumer with flexibility and speed, modernising the global supply chains. For this reason, strategic distribution hubs connected by air and sea and proximity to markets and transportation hubs makes a location suitable for international logistics to provide services at minimal costs. 

Sri Lanka, India and Japan yesterday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for the development of the long awaited East Container Terminal in the Colombo harbour. 

Given Sri Lanka’s strategic geographic location along the main east-west sea route in the Indian Ocean, at the crossroads of the fastest growing region of the world with proximity to many emerging markets, the Country is ideally positioned as a very viable hub in the South Asian Region. Underscoring Sri Lanka’s attractiveness as a hub, the Port of Colombo is globally recognized among the top dozen ‘best connected’ container ports worldwide, with all major container shipping lines using it as the primary regional hub for transshipment to and from the sub-continent.

The Colombo Port container volumes indicates an increase in the month of April 2019 by 9.1% compared to the same period last year.

Transforming Sri Lanka into the hub of the Indian Ocean, with a knowledge-based, highly competitive and social-market economyis the objective of the Vision 2025 policy document of the Government.Making the transistion to anexport, FDI and tourism orientedcountry is the only optionfor Sri Lanka to create better jobs for the youth of our country and to graduate to a higher income economy.

As per the instructions of the Hon. Malik Samarawickrama, Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade, Export Development Board organized a meeting with the key Exporters and Investors on Friday 03rd May 2019 at the 3rd Floor Auditorium to discuss the current situation of the country.

Vehicle Carrier, Glovis Sun sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, helped the Hambantota International Port (HIP) to reach its highest discharge volumes to date, when 5,000 transshipment units were discharged in record time last month. The discharge operation was completed 22 hours prior to the expected time and the vessel was able to depart well before schedule the following day.

Global logistics service provider, Expolanka Freight Ltd. (EFL), has announced that it has implemented its first wave of transformative Robotic Process Automation (RPA) across all its distribution centres and Freeport to support day-to-day operations, making it the first 3PL to have achieved this in Sri Lanka. Through this move to automate repetitive processes across its portfolio, the country’s most dynamic supply chain services vendor has further strengthened its position at the cutting edge of logistics innovation, adding even greater value to its business offering.

Initiative of upward tariff revision by the SLPA has become a controversial matter raising many concerns of exporters/importers during tough times where Sri Lanka is trying to find their position back in the world map as a competitive exporter. However, the SLPA seems adamant to go-ahead with this implementation disregarding the concerns raised by the industry sources revealed. Though the players who are engaged in the international trade continuously insisted that, rates remain unchanged, it is unfortunate that the Authorities are still trying to act in favor of the upward revision.

The final workshop on National Port Master Plan (NPMP) organised together with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Southern Development and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was held last week at Hotel Kingsbury, Colombo with a large gathering of local and foreign professionals.

A meeting was convened recently by the Hon. Malik Samarawickarama, Minister of Development Strategies & International Trade (MoDSIT), to discuss the progress of the Logistics Strategy of the National Export Strategy.  Mr. S T Kodikara, Secretary of MoDSIT, Mr. J M Thilakaratne Banda, Addl. Secretary of Ministry of Transport & Civil Aviation (MoTCA), Mr. Dhammika Ranatunga, Chairman – Airport & Aviation Services Ltd (AASL), Mrs. Indira Malwatte, Chairperson & CE of Sri Lanka Export Development Board(EDB),  Mr. Upali de Zoysa, Addl. Managing Director of Sri Lanka Ports Authority(SLPA) participated at the meeting along with the officials from the Ministry of Ports & Shipping and Southern Development. The Minister commended the participants on their commitment to the national endeavor to implement the Logistics Sector Strategy of NES.

A full-scale IT infrastructure drive is currently underway to transform Colombo — Sri Lanka’s busiest port — into a ‘smart port,’ Ports, Shipping and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka has announced. “Transforming Colombo into a ‘smart port’is a timely need,” the Minister said, adding that Rs. 929 million had been allocated for the project, which has been included in the Asian Development Bank-supported master plan for Sri Lanka’s port development. Ratnayaka said Colombo’s transformation into a smart port would ensure the development of a collaborative approach that would make the port smart in terms of flow, situation or customer management.

The National Export Strategy (NES) is progressing in the right direction. It has six focused areas and is expected to provide the impetus for the export drive supporting economic growth, Chairperson of the Export Development Board (EDB), Indira Malwatte said.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) won the Ports Authority of the Year 2019 Award by the Global Ports Forum (GPF) for the second consecutive year at the GPF awards ceremony 2019 followed by the conference forum held at the Hyatt Regency Dubai Deira, in the United Arab Emirates on 20 February.

Ports, Shipping and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka yesterday assured that all maritime development plans will be accelerated, while outlining some of the key projects in progress.

Sri Lanka’s new national policy for its maritime and logistics sectors foresees reduced dependence on Indian container transshipment cargo, Colombo port’s main business for years, given changes in shipping services and emerging competition from other ports.

Sri Lanka’s merchandise and service exports in 2018 are estimated to have hit an all-time high of $ 17 billion, up 15% from a year earlier prompting the Government to be confident of achieving the $20 billion milestone this year.

Marking a major milestone, the Port of Colombo handled its seven millionth TEU yesterday, 31 December.

A special function was held at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to celebrate the handling of the seven million mark. The function was attended by Minister of Ports, Shipping and Southern Development Sagala Rathnayake and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Southern Development Secretary and Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake. 

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) yesterday announced a significant equipment addition that will enhance the terminal’s deep water capacity and make Colombo one of the few ports in Asia capable of handling vessels of 22,000 + TEUs. The Company said the enhancement encompasses the addition of two new mega Quay Gantry Cranes (QGCs), six new Rubber-tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) and 12 Prime Movers, and is planned for completion by March 2019. CICT’s existing QGCs are the biggest gantry cranes in the Indian Subcontinent region, and the addition of two even larger twin-lift QGCs from Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC), a global leader in quayside container cranes, will further strengthen the Port of Colombo’s hub status, the Company said.