RIGHT TO REPLY Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council responds to article on ‘terminal handling charge’

The Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council (SLSC) notes with concern the article published in the Daily Mirror of 4th September 2025, titled “Why Sri Lanka must realign its terminal handling charge policy to secure maritime future” by Business Journalist Nishel Fernando.

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The article attempts to advocate for the reintroduction of a separate Terminal Handling Charge (THC), making several assertions that are factually incorrect and misleading to the public, exporters, importers, and policymakers.

Misrepresentation of the Policy Reform Process

One of the main claims in the article is that the abolition of the THC was a “radical change” implemented without prior consultation and introduced “abruptly” through the national budget by way of a “surprise gazette.” The author further asserts that the process was viewed as “highly unprofessional” by the international maritime community.

This is a serious misrepresentation of the facts. There was no abolition of the THC by the government gazette. What instead transpired was the halting of freight unbundling andthe prevention of non-transparentcharges being imposed on parties outside the transport contract. Far from being an abrupt decision, this was the result of a transparent, consultative, and consistent policy process spanning seventeen years, culminating in the government’s decision, taken after engaging with ICC Paris on Incoterms, to end an anti-competitive practice. Every successive government has upheld this policy, while a small group of lobbies has lost its unlawful revenue stream.

The article also misstates the timeline. The law is not ‘10 years old’: the last gazette was issued, following an earlier one in 2017, both of which reinforced the law first introduced in 2014, following two budget proposals and parliamentary approval.

Background to the THC