Transport & Logistics
From The Report: Sri Lanka 2018
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Having a strategic location along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, Sri Lanka is well positioned to capitalise on rising Indian Ocean trade volumes. Under the auspices of the economic development strategy Vision 2025, released in 2017, authorities are moving to transform the country into a leading global trans-shipment and logistics hub. Sri Lanka benefits from a deepwater coastline, giving it a competitive advantage over India. Cargo volumes at the country’s maritime hub, the Port of Colombo, have risen steadily in recent years, with the port recording double-digit growth in 2016. However, delays in building the East Container Terminal, the port’s next phase of expansion, weighed on operations in 2017. This chapter contains an interview with Julian Bevis, Senior Director, Group Relations, South Asia, Maersk Group.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Charting development: National strategies increase private investment across the sector
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Having a strategic location along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, Sri Lanka is well positioned to capitalise on rising Indian Ocean trade volumes. Under the auspices of the economic development strategy Vision 2025, released in September 2017, authorities are moving to transform the country into a leading global trans-shipment and logistics hub. Sri Lanka benefits from a deepwater coastline, giving it a competitive advantage over India. Cargo volumes at the country’s…

Interview

Policy connections: Julian Bevis, Senior Director, Group Relations, South Asia, Maersk Group, on how to remain competitive as a trans-shipment centre
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Interview :Julian Bevis What role does logistics play in the economy? JULIAN BEVIS: In Sri Lanka the relationship between the economy and logistics is particularly significant, inasmuch as the country’s geographical position allows it to act as a hub for all the littoral economies in the Indian Ocean. Many of these are growing rapidly and have the potential to become leading global economies. This offers a key opportunity to boost economic activity. What is needed is the willingness and…

Analysis

Hit the road running: On the back of significant road improvements, the government secures funding for further upgrades
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Rural connectivity is poised to improve significantly, with the government securing financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to rehabilitate over 3400 km of rural roads. These road renovations form part of an expansive infrastructure agenda that will also see the construction of a host of rural expressways in the coming years. Although budgetary shortfalls could make it difficult for the government to allocate the necessary funding for all of the planned developments, the creation…

Analysis

Unloading debts: Authorities sell off majority stakes in state-owned infrastructure
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In an effort to address the rising levels of public debt, the government moved to sell a majority stake in the recently constructed deepwater port in Hambantota to the state-owned China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH) in July 2017. The deal will help shore up state reserves to allow for higher spending on priority infrastructure. It also demonstrates that there are opportunities for foreign investment in Sri Lanka, with the port holding the potential to become a major global roll-on/roll-off…