Dr.Priyath B.Wickrama – Chairman of SLPA.

Positioned as the new Asian gateway and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Sri Lankas maritime and logistics initiatives will be given another boost from the inauguration of Sri Lanka Ports, Trade and Logistics two day Conference and Exhibition which ended at the Hilton Hotel Colombo, recently. The conference supported by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), was an important annual fixture in the international maritime events diary.

The two day conference focused several key areas of the maritime and logistics initiatives that included requirement of an efficient, integrated communication system to convert Sri Lanka to a real maritime hub, advancing the continued growth and development of the global maritime industry and the importance of emerging maritime hubs in the Indian Ocean, the newest and most exciting Indian Ocean market and gateway to Asia, Sri Lanka is a favourable destination for investment and driving forward and expanding the commercial and project sector.

The conference looked into matters pertaining to the financing and investing in major maritime projects in Sri Lanka that include an overview of the financial and economic climate in the country, South Asia markets and port finance, accessing international debt for infrastructure developments, supporting reconstruction and development, viewpoints from international financial and lending institutions, the hub modernizing of the regulatory environment and the importance of human capital as well as identifying and making the right commercial and investment decisions when developing major maritime projects in Sri Lanka.

Further attention was given at the conference towards broader perspectives on major projects, market analysis, supply chain management, automation and technology that include key areas such as attracting investment and choosing the right project partners, an analysis and review of major maritime development projects in Sri Lanka, an analysis of the Colombo Port expansion Project and the development of a green port, the Qatar experience.

The developing matters pertaining to maritime security and piracy and Sri Lankas emerging role was also discussed under the use of force consideration for armed security, issues arising from the use of armed guards and the new BIMCO Guardcon document, securing safe passage and understanding the risks at sea and utilization of the latest technology, risk assessment and best practices.
(DN12072012)