Global shipping giant Maersk opens new warehouse in Sri Lanka
Daily FT: A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) last week inaugurated its brand-new warehouse in Sri Lanka at Wattala, spread over 100,000 sq. ft.
Present at the inauguration were Maersk South Asia Managing Director Vikash Agarwal, Maersk Sri Lanka Head Biju Ravi, Aitken Spence PLC Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake and other leaders. This new facility is a testament to Maersk’s commitment to providing integrated supply chain solutions, offering a strategic advantage for various global customers and local suppliers in the retail and lifestyle sector.
“Our new warehouse in Sri Lanka represents a strategic milestone in our commitment to strengthen our operations in the country,” said Vikash Agarwal. “By leveraging Sri Lanka’s growing prominence as a logistics hub and investing in infrastructure that our customers have shown interest in, Maersk aims to deliver unparalleled value to its clients while contributing to Sri Lanka’s economic growth and development,” he added. Strategically located in Wattala, a mere 11 km from the seaport, Maersk’s new facility is poised to leverage Sri Lanka’s advantageous geographical position as a vital hub for trade routes connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe. With the country’s thriving trade sector and Government initiatives to improve infrastructure and ease of doing business, Sri Lanka presents an ideal environment for Maersk to strengthen its presence in this strategic market. The 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse offers export consolidation and 3PL services, with 50,000 sq. ft dedicated to each. Maersk’s new facility will provide end-to-end supply chain solutions, including storage, inventory management, and distribution, serving global and local customers. The 3PL facility allows suppliers to store their cargo and move quickly to consolidation points without losing time. Maersk’s next-door empty yard provides faster movement of containers into the consolidation point and then to the port.
This new warehouse will be able to serve almost the entire Colombo market within four hours.
Further, the facility features rainwater harvesting, LED lighting, and solar module compatibility for environment-friendly operations.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s path towards becoming a regional hub has resulted in the expansion of the country’s maritime industry. The country’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean in close proximity to international maritime lanes have provided a further boost to Sri Lanka’s maritime industry. The growth in the maritime industry has resulted in the increase in business/investment opportunities in the ports, shipping and logistics sectors. The increase in operations in the key ports around the country and the Sri Lankan government’s decision to uplift and develop the country’s ports are indicative of the expanding maritime industry. Also, the inclusion of Sri Lanka’s ongoing plans to further develop the existing trade ties enjoyed by the country with other countries while negotiating new trade ties with more countries have increased opportunities in the shipping and logistics sectors. This is the reason for Maersk to open a new warehouse in Sri Lanka, indicating the growing business potential in the country’s maritime industry. All these expansions have opened up direct and indirect business/investment opportunities for foreign businesses/investors.