CICT highlights Colombo Port as pivotal player in global trade at CILF

The pivotal role played by the Port of Colombo in global trade and its contribution towards the betterment of the South Asian region was the focus of a presentation made by Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) recently at an international forum in Shenzhen, China. 

Catriona Jayasundera (sixth from right) at the forum

The presentation was made by the Head of Commercial and Marketing of CICT Catriona Jayasundera at the 3rd Forum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the 6th Shenzhen International Port Chain Strategy Forum which was part of the 12th annual China (Shenzhen) International Logistics and Transportation Fair (CILF).

Her presentation, during the second session of this forum at Asia’s leading logistics and transportation fair, was titled ‘Port of Colombo – The Pivotal Point of Global Trade.’

Among other panelists alongside Jayasundera were senior representatives from the Rocky Mountain Institute, US; Port of Antwerp, Belgium; Port of Taranto, Italy; Incheon Port Authority and Port of Gdansk, Poland. 

Jayasundera also signed the ‘Shenzhen Declaration 2’ on behalf of CICT. The declaration contained guidelines for and a consensus on promoting collaborative innovation of port technology and services, and for strengthening cooperation in port chains. 

Commenting on the company’s participation in the forum, CICT’s CEO Ray Ren said: “As an integral part of the Port of Colombo, CICT has always focused on promoting the strengths and strategic location of the port to global players. We use every opportunity available to raise awareness of what Colombo has to offer, and this presentation reached a very influential audience.”

This year’s forum was organised by the Ministry of Transport of the PRC, the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government and Shenzhen Logistics and Supply Chain Management Association. 

Since 2006 CILF has been a popular platform which attracts well-known international companies from industries such as logistics, transportation, IT solutions and related fields. Its focus is primarily on promoting the international influence of China’s logistics industry. 

CICT, which commenced operations in July 2013, manages the Colombo South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first and currently only deep water terminal in South Asia equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. The commencement of CICT’s operations is widely credited as the factor in the Port of Colombo which achieved double-digit growth in 2014 after a lapse of over 10 years.

In just three years of operation, CICT has brought some of the largest vessels plying Asia-Europe routes to Colombo. Of these, Milan Maersk (20,568 TEU), MSC Maya (19,224 TEU), Mogens Maersk (18,300 TEU), MSC New York (16,652 TEU), CMA CGM Marco Polo (16,020 TEU), Edith Maersk and EMC Thalassa Hellas (each 14,000 plus TEUs) and their sister vessels are now regular callers at CICT.