Sri Lanka seeks US maritime cooperation, invites FMC chair to visit Colombo
EconomyNext: A high-level Sri Lankan delegation has met with US maritime regulators in Washington DC to discuss ocean shipping oversight and invite American officials to visit the island to highlight its position as a central Indian Ocean shipping hub.
The delegation, which visited the United States in June, met with Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chair Laura DiBella and the commission’s legal team.
The meeting was set up through Dustin Bickel, the Indo-Pacific coordinator at the US Embassy in Colombo, on the sidelines of the US Forum on Indian Ocean Ports and Supply Chains.
The Sri Lankan group included Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, Presidential Special Envoy Hanif Yusoof, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, and Shippers Academy CEO Rohan Masakorala, alongside Aritha Wickramasinghe and Shiran Dissanayake.
During the talks, officials discussed how the FMC regulates international ocean transport and manages supply chain reliability.
“The delegation extended an official invitation to Chair DiBella to visit Sri Lanka to showcase the nation’s role as a key Indian Ocean logistics hub,” the statement said.
The visit was part of a US State Department-funded initiative aimed at strengthening trade ties across the Indo-Pacific region.
As part of the tour, the Sri Lankan team also visited the Port of Baltimore. Officials studied automated systems and digital logistics tools to gather insights for modernizing operations at the Port of Colombo.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s engagement with the US on maritime cooperation underscores the growing business/investment opportunities available to American businesses/investors as the island advances its ambition of becoming South Asia’s leading logistics and maritime hub. With its strategic location along one of the world’s busiest east-west shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is well positioned to serve as a gateway for regional trade, transshipment, and value-added logistics. Ongoing discussions with US maritime regulators, coupled with strong bilateral trade and investment ties, signal increasing scope for collaboration in port development, shipping services, maritime technology, digital logistics, supply chain management, and marine-related infrastructure. The country’s broader economic recovery and reform agenda are also creating business/investment opportunities beyond the maritime sector. As Sri Lanka pursues export-led growth and strengthens its position as a regional commercial hub, US companies can explore business/investment opportunities in renewable energy, manufacturing, tourism, real estate, information technology, agribusiness, and logistics. With improving macroeconomic stability, a strategic Indian Ocean location, and continued efforts to attract foreign direct investment, Sri Lanka is positioning itself as a competitive destination for American capital seeking access to South Asian and wider Indo-Pacific markets.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260804Z_2 |