Message from Organising Committee Chairman Rohan Masakorala

It is an honour to be the Organising Committee Chairman of the Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) for the second time. The maritime industry for Sri Lanka is the next big opportunity and this is the belief that I and my organising committee are motivated to promote the sector through the CIMC.

The theme for CIMC 2016 is ‘Sri Lanka – linking maritime crossroads’. The objective and the vision behind this is that we want to transform Sri Lanka from a South Asian hub leader to the position of South Asia’s maritime hub leader. Therefore the focus of Colombo International Maritime Conference will be shifted beyond container transhipment to a wider range of topics covering beyond the ship and port. 

We as a team believe that maritime sector growth has large opportunity to create new jobs and wealth to the Sri Lankan and the regional economies. I personally have an objective to get the maritime sector of Sri Lanka to contribute 6% of GDP by 2030 which is currently estimated at 2.5% of GDP. We request the Government to listen to our views post conference.

We greatly appreciate the President, Prime Minister, our patron, Speaker of the Parliament, our Chairman, Minister of Ports and Shipping and the Cabinet of Ministers and the Government for supporting the CIMC and the declaration of the Sri Lanka Maritime Week. 

I also take the opportunity to thank Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) for being our official partner and all other local and international organisations and associations together with the conference speakers for their contributions and support. I also wish to place on record our appreciation for the port sector, terminal operators, local and international media and all the overseas missions in Sri Lanka for their continuous support. Finally, I wish to thank the organising committee and all the generous sponsors without which we could not have sailed through.