CICT represents Port of Colombo at Singapore Maritime Week

The Port of Colombo was represented at a major international forum this month by Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) following an invitation extended by the organisers to CICT General Manager – Commercial and Marketing Tissa Wickramasinghe to be a speaker and panellist at this prestigious forum.

The TOC Asia (Terminal Operator Conference) took place in Singapore on 20 and 21 April in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week, and Wickramasinghe was the sole representative from the Port of Colombo at the event sponsored by the Port of Singapore Authority.

This was the third occasion that Wickramasinghe was among the eminent speakers at a TOC session, having addressed previous conferences in Dubai and Singapore.

CICT General Manager Commercial & Marketing Tissa Wickramasinghe addresses the event

Representing the Port of Colombo, Wickramasinghe made a presentation titled ‘Improving Supply Chain Performance – Coping with the mega ship’ at the second session of the conference, themed ‘More mega-ships’ and focussing on the latest wave of giant containerships entering the Asia-Europe trades. 

He was also invited to sit in as a member representing the container terminal industry at a high-powered panel discussion organised by Lloyds List at which the panellists included the CEO of APL Shipping Line and the CEO for Asia Pacific at MAERSK Shipping Line. The discussion was moderated by James Baker, the Chief Editor of Containerisation International.

“With the new deep water container terminal facility that has substantially enhanced the competitiveness of the Port of Colombo, it was extremely important that the Port was represented at the Singapore Maritime Week and the events connected with it, because they attracted the who’s who of the international container shipping industry,” Wickramasinghe said. 

In its profile of Wickramasinghe the TOC Asia website notes that “A 35-year career in maritime transportation qualifies Tissa Wickramasinghe to be considered one of Sri Lanka’s most eminent professionals in the field. Currently General Manager Marketing and Commercial at Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd. (CICT), the only deep-water container terminal facility in the Port of Colombo, and at $ 500 million the largest maritime infrastructure investment in Sri Lanka, his career encompasses 25 years in the Ports and Terminals industry, and 10 years with the British Merchant Navy.”

CICT which commenced commercial operations in July 2013 closed FY 2015 with an impressive 1.561 million TEUs, with the ULCC (Ultra Large Container Carrier) and VLCC (Very Large Container Carrier) segments making a 67% contribution to that volume. A member of CMHI, the world’s second largest global terminal operator by throughput, CICT has access to a wide network of 72 terminals operated and invested by CMHI across the globe, none of which are in any form of competition with the Port of Colombo.