JCT heralds first 11,000 TEU container vessel

Making a yet another significant landmark in Sri Lanka’s container-handling history, the State-owned Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) on Tuesday received an 11,660 TEU capacity Container Carrier, MV MSC Luciana, operated by the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

MV MSC Luciana makes history as the largest-ever container vessel that has thus far called over at the Port of Colombo.

In celebration of this historic event to JCT and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), and to Sri Lanka at large, a plaque exchange ceremony was held on board the vessel MV MSC Luciana on her maiden voyage at JCT/SLPA on 23 January.

Plaques were exchanged between SLPA’s upper echelon comprising Chairman Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama, Managing Director Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, and Master of the Vessel Capt. Kojicic Veselin in the presence of MSC top brass including Managing Director Rohan de Silva, General Manager (Operations and Logistics) Shamal Perera, and other senior SLPA and MSC officials.

MSC in a very bold move switched over to the State-run Jaya Container Terminal operated by SLPA in December 2009, expecting to carry out more than 1,500 moves per vessel and MSC was able to achieve this average in the years that followed.

MSC boasts of competitive transit times and brings import cargoes from the Eastern Seaboard of US to Colombo and delivers local exports and transhipment cargo from the Indian sub continent to the Far East.

MSC is the world’s second-largest container shipping line, providing an unparalleled service network via dedicated offices throughout the world and remains a truly independent and private company able to respond quickly to market changes and implement long term plans.

With a streamlined management structure via Geneva, MSC has become a leading customer-focused, cost effective global transport solution provider for many shippers worldwide.

Commenting at the ceremony, SLPA Chairman Dr. Wickrama said: “The MSC Luciana’s call at Jaya Container Terminal is of great significance to us for it is the largest-ever container vessel to visit Colombo. This heralds how container shipping will be like in the future, with economies of scale becoming the major concern in ship building. More often than not, the pursuit of economies of scale in liner shipping has been cited as the major reason behind carriers’ motivation to form strategic alliances, engage in mergers and acquisitions, and increase vessel capacity by building larger vessels. When the Panama’s new locks are inaugurated in 2014, channels will allow transit of bigger vessels, removing another impediment against mega ship building.”

“I am glad to say that Colombo will be ready to handle any mega vessel on the order book. With the construction of the Colombo South Harbour, the first stage of which is to be completed in 2013, we will have the capacity to entertain the largest triple E class vessels and Sri Lanka will be the only port in South Asia to handle large vessels,” he further said.

SLPA Managing Director Capt. Keppetipola said: “Today is a historic day for SLPA. The MSC, one of our oldest and most loyal container shipping business partners, has made the SLPA achieve another accolade. Today we have demonstrated to the shipping community that we have the ability to handle an 11,000 TEU class vessel, the largest-ever to have called thus far at Colombo. MSC has always been with us in crests and in troughs of our business and I am confident that they will continue to be with us in the future.”

He added: “We need to be the change that we wish to see in the world. Let me attribute our ambitious development projects and our determination to change the organisational culture to our vision to be the first in logistics excellence on the Silk Route.”

Capt. Keppetipola praised the current Ports Chairman as a leader par excellence, saying, “Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.”

Capt. Keppetipola also highly appreciated the role of Rohan de Silva, the Managing Director of MSC Lanka, as a man who lives up to his dreams, quoting, “Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.”

“Under our wing, we are confident that MSC will thrive and grow from strength to strength in the future. Your success indeed is the SLPA’s success too. That means you — our customer — are our most valuable asset and I take this opportunity to wish MSC and their local agent MSC Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. all the best,” he said.

The vessel operates under the Cheetah service with port rotation of Durban, Port Louis, Colombo, Singapore, Far East, Singapore, Durban, and Europe.