Digitalisation as a national maritime imperative

• An industry perspective by the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents 

As the apex body representing Sri Lanka’s shipping and agency community, the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) has, for decades, served as the collective voice of the maritime industry, engaging policymakers, regulators and stakeholders on matters that directly impact trade facilitation and national competitiveness.

From this vantage point, CASA observes a clear shift in the factors that determine maritime success. While Sri Lanka’s strategic location and port infrastructure remain important, the industry is increasingly shaped by how efficiently and coherently it operates as a digitally connected ecosystem. In a region where competing hubs are moving rapidly towards integrated digital platforms, digitalisation has become fundamental to sustaining Sri Lanka’s position in global shipping networks.

For the shipping industry, digitalisation is not about technology for its own sake. It is about reducing friction across the value chain, improving predictability, and ensuring that Sri Lanka remains an efficient and reliable node in international trade.

Beyond the Port: Digitalisation across the maritime ecosystem

While terminal productivity remains important, port efficiency is ultimately shaped by processes that extend well beyond the terminal gate. Vessel and cargo operations involve multiple stakeholders — shipping lines, agents, forwarders, terminals, haulers, Customs, port authorities and other border agencies.

When these entities operate on fragmented or partially digital systems, inefficiencies accumulate. Parallel submissions, manual interventions and inconsistent processes increase transaction costs and undermine service reliability.

CASA has consistently emphasised that digitalisation must be industry-wide and integrated. Isolated digital solutions, however well-intentioned, cannot deliver meaningful improvements. 

Integrated industry solutions such as Port Community Systems should be fast tracked to  add value to the logistics industry to enable seamless, real-time information exchange among all stakeholders, reducing delays, costs, and inefficiencies across the supply chain.

ASYHUB: Progress that must translate into outcomes

The introduction of ASYHUB by Sri Lanka Customs represents a positive step toward modernising trade processes. The move towards electronic manifest submission and enhanced pre-arrival data exchange aligns Sri Lanka with global best practices and has the potential to improve clearance timelines.

From an industry perspective, however, the effectiveness of ASYHUB will depend on execution. The platform must be fully integrated with terminal operating systems, carrier platforms and the broader Port Community System to avoid duplication and manual reconciliation.

Digital initiatives should yield improved and measurable outcomes  enabling real-time coordination among stakeholders, data driven decision-making and faster cargo flow — and not replicating  existing processes in electronic form.

The Maritime National Single Window: From intent to implementation

Sri Lanka’s Maritime and National Single Window initiatives reflect the right strategic intent: a single point of submission for regulatory requirements. For industry stakeholders, the objective is straightforward — one submission, shared data and coordinated approvals.

Progress to date has been uneven, and partial implementation risks creating additional layers rather than simplification. CASA believes that clear governance, defined accountability and enforceable timelines are essential if the Maritime and National Single Window solutions are to deliver tangible efficiency gains whilst meeting international mandates.

Digitalisation as a driver of resilience

Recent operational disruptions, including adverse weather events affecting vessel schedules, have underscored the importance of digital readiness. While such disruptions are unavoidable, prolonged congestion and administrative delays are not.

Ports,  maritime, and trade systems that are digitally integrated recover faster by enabling pre-arrival processing, dynamic re-sequencing and coordinated decision-making. This reinforces the view that digitalisation is not only an efficiency related tool, but a resilience mechanism as well

A measured but urgent call for action

Sri Lanka’s maritime industry operates in an environment of increasing competition and diminishing tolerance for inefficiency. Shipping lines have the flexibility to adjust networks in response to cost and reliability considerations.

Digital transformation must therefore be coordinated, consultative and outcome-driven. 

Systems should reduce costs, simplify processes, and enhance predictability for all stakeholders. They should be governed in a manner to contribute to strengthening the country’s competitive position and to continuously improve Logistics and Port Performance. 

CASA supports digital reforms that strengthen Sri Lanka’s maritime ecosystem while recognising the operational realities of the industry.