Shippers’ Academy Colombo turns 10

Seeding Shippers’ Academy in Singapore 2010 and launch in Colombo in 2011

• Takes initiative to go global; introduces SA-Connect

The journey

South Asia’s first-ever cargo owners training academy set sail on 24 January 2011 in Colombo under the flagship name of Shippers’ Academy Colombo (SAC). It was inaugurated with the support of the Singapore Shippers’ Academy (SSA) which was the first initiative in 2010. 

The global transportation industry is a derived demand due to expansion of international trade. Transportation through sea, air and land using different modes of transport such as ships, aircrafts, trains, and trucks have become the lifeline of global economic growth and the success of the free economy where competition ensures that the consumers have access to best price and best quality goods into their hands through advance supply chains. The knowledge of global supply chains and how they connect markets is today broadly defined as logistics. 

Traders across the globe, be they be manufacturers or buyers, rely on efficient shipping services and support services such as banks, insurance, and state sector to be competitive. The Shippers’ Academy was designed to cater to this market demand to make cargo owners as well as service providers be brought into an educational platform to increase on the job knowledge enhancement and skills development as well as create space for new entrants into the international trading environment to gain basic knowledge best practices on global supply chains. The Academy also targets to develop new set of trainers and teachers to take the industry forward.

Creativity, innovation and new thinking beyond borders

The Shippers’ Academy Colombo developed many first-time events in Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent. The Academy was instrumental in developing the Director Merchant Shipping approved logistics course and its syllabus. The Academy took the initiative to develop shipper centric short courses and events where over 18,500 students and participants have taken part in classroom activity, seminars, workshops, discussions on industry related topics over the past 10 years and have worked with all the local chambers as partners over the years. The Academy introduced the limited edition of Governor’s Global Commerce Excellence awards with Central Bank of Sri Lanka in 2011 to recognise Sri Lankan and international companies and individuals who supported the local economy during the 30-year-old terror period the country faced.

The Shippers’ Academy Colombo also pioneered the Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC), South Asia Maritime and Logistics Forum (SAMLF) and Colombo International Logistics Conference (CILC) to promote Sri Lanka as a destination in the global platform. These were the first international standard mega conferences relating to maritime and logistics, to be held in South Asia, where three major conferences were held in Colombo and one in Mumbai, India and the third in Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2015. These conferences attracted global media coverage attended by well over 40 nations giving exposure to the maritime and logistics industry of Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent. 

Shippers’ Academy Colombo has also represented in policy development to the Government of Sri Lanka, in areas of ports, shipping, international trade, logistics, customs, commerce, Board of Investment and has helped link issues of exporters with Government to provide solutions. The government also recognised the efforts of the academy and issued a first day cover stamp, which is the first in Sri Lanka for a maritime conference in the year 2015. The Academy has also been nominated to serve in advisory bodies and university committees, and currently the CEO of the Shippers’ Academy Colombo, Rohan Masakorala chairs the national Logistics Advisory Committee of the Export Development Board and serves on the Dean’s Advisory committee of the Sri Jayawardenepura University. 

The Academy introduced high level corporate quizzes, partnering with the public sector where it first introduced the Governor’s Challenge Trophy with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Terminal Operators’ Cup with Sri Lanka Ports Authority, and the Exim Trophy with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. Even regional central banks participated in these quizzes and is today a highly sought-after event by the corporate sector of Sri Lanka. 

Shippers’ Academy Colombo in the global arena

Shippers’ Academy Colombo has partnered with CMA Australia for revalidation of courses. The Academy was also requested to take part in the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in London in 2018 by the government of Sri Lanka. Among many conferences that the Academy participated as speakers, five times at the Terminal Operators Conference (TOC) at the Singapore Maritime Week, Intermodal Europe in Amsterdam, Intermodal Asia in Shanghai, Bangladesh government invited conferences as well from the Indian government and other regional governments and chambers. 

The International Trade Centre picked the Shippers’ Academy Colombo as a consultative party for the export strategies of Sri Lanka and Myanmar. It was the only South Asian entity to have been invited to develop the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Paris based drafting committee for the INCOTERMS plus transport guideline, which was published in 2015.

SA to go global beyond 2021

The Shippers’ Academy Colombo has invested on its international brand and has the franchise of Shippers’ Academy International (www.shippersacademy.com). The Academy plans to develop this global project to set up regional training and international training in two steps. The initial focus would be the Indian subcontinent and then follow up with expansion to the Indian Ocean Rim Association Countries (IORAC). The online platforms and classroom training will be the modes of delivery along with related conferences and seminars to be organised. 

SA-Connect a new initiative to facilitate traders

The Academy will also introduce new areas of services to the trade under its new initiative SA-Connect, which is a membership based exclusive services network. 

The Academy has acknowledged its fullest appreciation to all the stakeholders local and international along with media, government officials and consecutive governments for supporting the journey over the last 10 years, and hopes to elevate the standard of skills of the shippers’ community to face the post-COVID era as well as to support Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean Rim Countries to excel in maritime and logistics and to promote international trade with supply chain excellence. 

Global Commerce Excellence Awards 2011

International conferences in India and Bangladesh 2017-2018

Colombo International Maritime Conference and Logistics Conferences since 2015

 Governor’s Challenge Trophy, Terminal Operators’ Cup, Exim Logistics Challenge Trophy since 2011