It is a delightful fact. The passing of several milestones by overcoming various challenges throughout her rich history, the Port of Colombo has achieved the global standards on safe maritime trade and shipping industry. No doubt, this immense contribution to the maritime trade is enriching the nation. It is remarkable and astonishing.
As we have featured here in this issue the first half of the year, the Port of Colombo has recorded the highest container growth port in the world. This humble and courteous achievement is the result of the collective commitment by all human resources supporting the Port of Colombo utilized and managed through unparalleled professional skills of the current chairperson of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority as well as the governing political leadership on the subject in the country.
At the same time, globally, we are celebrating the seventieth world maritime day on September 27 under the theme of ‘our heritage – better shipping for a better future.’ Objective of this year’s day, we as a common community are focusing internationally on, ‘an opportunity to take stock and look back, but also to look forward, addressing the current and future challenges for maritime transport to maintain a continued and strengthened contribution towards sustainable growth for all.’
While issuing the statement on the forthcoming occasion of the world maritime day, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary- General Kitack Lim observed and predicted that ‘IMO’s heritage over 70 years has been to drive improvements in shipping to achieve a better world today. Our challenge for the years to come remains – to work in collaboration with all stakeholders to create better shipping – for a better future.’ What we have learned from history is that the safe maritime trade is all about genuine collaboration and collective efforts in achieving desired goals together. It is all about committed teamwork.
It is needless to explain to us Sri Lankans of this island nation, the importance of maritime and the potentialities we as the centralized nation within the mainstream maritime routes have earned. Being geographically an important strategic location and also the safest from all sorts of threats including weather condition and natural uncertainties, Sri Lanka and her juridical sea area is nuclear to safe maritime trade.
Today, the Port of Colombo is witnessing the genuine path to prosperity of the nation and the paving of the way to understanding the importance of overcoming challenges prevailing due to the high waves of the seas.
As Aristotle Onassis known as Ari, one of the best-known shipping magnates, once said, ‘We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.’ We believe that the secret behind the achievements that the Port of Colombo gained is because of her genuine commitment in learning and professional capacity in implementing the strategies to sail in high winds for the benefits of the people in the country.
As a country that overcame from one of the most deadly civil wars on the planet, Sri Lanka has stepped forward and is proving the potentiality as the nation in developing and achieving goals aimed towards enriching the general public.
No one can deny that the maritime trade as the lifeline of the nation is playing a pivotal role. Hence, the Port of Colombo as the central port in the island is substantiating the unprecedented caliber in safe maritime trade while deepening confidence in the stakeholders.
The present management of Port of Colombo has affirmed by action the importance of collective collaboration while placing the professional virtue in all concerned, to stand on common ground confidently. This import step has cleared the dark clouds in the sky to make visible the stars of hope in maritime trade in Sri Lanka.
Recently that all three container terminals, Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT), and Colombo International Container Terminals ( CICT), operating in the Port of Colombo committed themselves to a Memorandum of Understanding to act together to aggrandize the common goal towards a vibrant future.
In his remarks about the event, Dr Dissanayake, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority states that, ‘this is like a shipping alliance. We will compete with each other; but we will also cooperate with each other in order to ensure a better service for clients. So this is moving from competition to co-competition.’
‘Despite all the challenges and the growing competition of the region, the Port of Colombo would be able to achieve historic volumes,’ he said. As the chairperson correctly predicted, the Port of Colombo is witnessing the growth of container handling by the terminals in the Port while shining in the maritime trade.
Meanwhile, staggering steps have been taken by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in adopting the anti-corruption and zero-tolerance policy aimed at cleaning up the trade. The meeting co-chaired by SLPA Chairperson Dr Dissanayake and Director General of Sri Lanka Customs Mrs P. S. M. Charles, focused on issues like the anti-corruption and zero tolerance policy, and detained containers, introducing a digital signature and electronic delivery order system.
One single step towards vanquishing the bad practices that are tarnishing the reputation of public institutions is not only revolutionary but also the registers a memorable contribution as a lesson to be learnt by generations to come.
Apparently, there is a long route to sail. The prevailing challenges are immense. As an American author John Shedd penned in his work titled, ‘Salt from My Attic’, ‘a ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.’
Meanwhile, the head of IMO said, challenges in major aspects of ‘international shipping – including ship design, construction, equipment, crewing, navigation, operation, and disposal’ are adverse in current situation. Challenges prevailing in these areas have to be addressed adequately to be overcome through collective commitment.
Moral and ethical responsibilities for healthy shipping and maritime trade are vested upon every stakeholder from a fisherman who is fishing in the Palk Strait or elsewhere to shipping agent who is the driving force behind the loading and unloading, not millions but billions of containers. So then every nation bounded by maritime trade shall not only engage in healthy and environmental protective shipping and maritime trade but also be the core partner of protecting and promoting each other’s heritage.
The Port of Colombo is booming while maintaining these notions to enrich not only the nation but also maritime trade as the most important subject on the planet.
Let’s protect and promote our ‘heritage’ while engaging in ‘better shipping for a better future’ for all humanity.
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