The recently announced Colombo International Finance Centre (FC), formerly known as the Colombo Port City, will have legislation and tax laws separate from that of the rest of Sri Lanka, the Government revealed yesterday, as it ramped up efforts to attract investment and capitalise on its strategic location in the region.
By Madushka Balasuriya

The Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) is in strategic partnership with this year’s Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC), as they celebrate 50 years as an association, providing a yeomen service to the maritime industry.

The second Colombo International Maritime Conference was held on 22 September and inaugurated by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Over 400 participants, including 60 international speakers, attended the event – Pix by Kitsiri de Mel.

• Will discuss reforms needed to increase cruise tourism
• Aims to develop the industry of yacht marinas

The Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) which begins for the second time on 21 September will extensively discuss the reforms that are needed to bring in more cruise and yacht tourism into Sri Lanka as the island has a great potential to increase the high end tourists to the country by developing infrastructure and services to facilitate global cruise tourism.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addresses the Colombo International Maritime Conference. CASA Chairman Capt. Ajit Peiris, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Colombo Shippers Academy CEO Rohan Masakorala and Sri Lanka Shippers Council Chairman Sean Van Dort look on - Pic by Kaithsiri de Mel. See Pictorial on Page 18.
By Madushka Balasuriya

21-27 September, Sri Lanka Maritime Week
2016 Theme: Sri Lanka- Linking the maritime cross roads

For the second consecutive year during the “Sri Lanka Maritime Week” in September, the Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) will be held from 21 to 23 September 2016 in Colombo. The event is conducted in association with the Ministry of Ports and Shipping led by the Minster of Ports and Shipping with the Speaker of the Parliament being the patron of the event for the 13-BYfirst time. Sri Lanka Maritime week is a cabinet declared week to commemorate World Maritime Day every year which falls in the last week of September as per the International Maritime Organisation’s calendar.

The three-day Colombo International Maritime Conference – CIMC is now emerging as the biggest diversified maritime conference in South Asia. Given the country location and a reform and development agenda drawn by the Government of Sri Lanka to develop Colombo, Hambantota and Trincomalee to transform Sri Lanka from a transshipment port to a maritime nation is creating greater interest from many international investors.

South Asia is interestingly getting international attention as a region that is poised to keep the global economic growth to sustain the momentum and help stabilise the current turmoil. The region is estimated to have GDP of over 2.6 trillion dollars and a population of over 1.7 billion with an expanding middle class consumption and manufacturing.

The Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) will open up a new chapter for the maritime industry of Sri Lanka to transit to a new area of focus in developing the maritime economy beyond container transshipment via port of Colombo.

The Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) which was held for the very first time in 2015, under the guidance of Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, was considered as one of the top maritime conferences held in the Indian subcontinent. Minister Ranatunga initiated the idea in 2015 and got cabinet approval to declare a Sri Lanka maritime week, on the last week of September to commemorate the International Maritime Day and UN observance annually.