AP Moller-Maersk says Sri Lanka’s move to liberalize shipping has improved country’s competitiveness
A senior official from Danish-owned AP Moller-Maersk who was on an official visit to Sri Lanka has said that Sri Lanka’s move to liberalise shipping has improved its competitiveness.
AP Moller-Maersk is one of the world’s largest container shipping lines, said.
“This liberalization puts Sri Lanka on a par with its (shipping) competitors,” AP Moller-Maersk’s Senior director South Asia, Julian Michael Bevis has been quoted as saying in the local media.
“We fully understand Sri Lanka’s need for such measures. In the long run, such a change is very much of a necessity.”
Bevis has said that Maersk is also keenly looking forward to partner in planned Colombo harbor expansion so that “we become an even larger stakeholder in the development of Lankan shipping industry.”
These remarks were made during discussions with Sri Lankan Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishard Bathiudeen.
OSL take:
The statement by a global giant that the Sri Lankan government’s move to liberalize the country’s shipping sector has placed Sri Lanka on a par with its competitors in the industry is a vote of confidence in the country’s shipping policies. Since Maersk is also keenly looking forward to partner in the planned Colombo harbor expansion, Sri Lanka’s target of achieving hub status in the Indian Ocean region now seems closer than expected. Sri Lanka would therefore be the ideal destination for foreign businesses to set up offices to conduct their operations in the Asian region.
Article Code : | VBS/AT/13122017/Z_3 |