Colombo Dockyard flies Sri Lankan flag high at SMP World Expo 2012

Colombo Dockyard PLC, the premier shipbuilding and ship repairing yard in Sri Lanka, participated as the Bronze Partner at the Shipping, Marine & Ports World Expo 2012 (SMP World Expo 2012), a maritime conference and technology exposition at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai organised by the CHEMTECH Foundation from 8 to 11 February 2012 and showcased its products and services.

The event provided excellent business opportunities and a platform where Colombo Dockyard met many representatives of the Government, maritime bodies and the shipping industry.

The conference covered areas such as shipbuilding technologies, infrastructure requirements, maritime safety and security issues and many more relevant topics, while the exhibition was used to showcase the state-of-the-art and innovative products, systems and processes in use.

The live coverage provided by the TV and press media ensured wide media publicity for this event.

Colombo Dockyard MD/CEO Mangala Yapa addressed the SMP 2012 conference on the topic ‘Ship Repair Industry Challenges’ on invitation by the distinguished advisory panel. The conference was attended by key players from the international shipping fraternity.

The inaugural opening ceremony on 8 February 2012 was held under the patronage of Shri K. Mohandas, Secretary Ministry of Shipping and Minister of Defence, Vice Admiral Ganesh Mahadevan COM, Ministry of Defence (Navy) was the Chief Guest for the proceedings held on 9 February 2012. High ranking Government officials and many Indian private sector and foreign delegations added prestige to the event.

As both our nations have been enjoying cordial social, religious and trade relationships for well over 25 centuries and successive Indian administrations have especially handpicked Sri Lankan expertise for a range of tasks, including the services of Colombo Dockyard for many of its ship repairing and shipbuilding needs, Colombo Dockyard joining as a “partner” at the exhibition and conference came in for much praise by the shipping fraternity in India.

As neighbouring countries, our two nations have complemented each other throughout the years, with ‘healthy competition’ that’s been beneficial to both countries. Since Sri Lanka is strategically located adjacent to the southern tip of the Indian sub continent, Colombo Dockyard has been able to cater to ship owners from both the east and west coasts with very minimal diversion cost/time.

Similarly, the current development of the port facilities in Sri Lanka is intended to develop Sri Lanka to be the ‘trade gateway’ between India and the rest of the world, as Hong Kong is for China and Singapore is for Malaysia. With India emerging as a global powerhouse, Sri Lanka stands to benefit from India’s prosperity and Colombo Dockyard is ready to serve the emerging needs of the Indian market.

The supportive policies of our respective governments such as the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (the first FTA signed by India) have provided the necessary impetus for the growth of bilateral trade. Further augmentation of these activities is expected through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is being favourably considered by the two Governments.

Additionally, with many internationally-reputed OEMs setting up their service centres in Colombo, it has been able to strengthen its position as the premier marine hub of Asia.

Demonstrating Sri Lanka’s approach of synergy, Nagasaki Semapaku Sobi (NSS) of Japan, GL Nobel Denton of Norway and Pership Group of Sri Lanka strategically joined Colombo Dockyard’s pavilion at this SMP World Expo 2012 to portray a glimpse of the unique offers at disposal when a ship owner/operator selects Colombo Dockyard to be the preferred shipbuilder or repairer.

With its large base of Indian customers who have chosen Colombo Dockyard over competitor organisations for their ship repair and shipbuilding needs, Colombo Dockyard has maintained its dedication to producing good results, safeguarding the trust and confidence placed in its capabilities.

With the dawn of peace and political stability in Sri Lanka, Colombo Dockyard is now better geared and more than ready to offer Sri Lankan excellence and ingenuity coupled with its strategic and synergistic alliances to all its future customers.