Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents holds 8th AGM

THE Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA) recently held its eighth Annual General Meeting with Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku as the Chief Guest and Worldlink Shipping Colombo Ltd., Director Marketing Swabha Wickramasinghe as the Chairperson for the second term.

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In her speech, Wickramasinghe recounted the remarkable strength and unity of SLANA members.

“We have travelled a significant journey together, and it’s our shared commitment and vision that keeps propelling us forward,” said the Chairperson of SLANA established in 2016 by licenced shipping agents in Sri Lanka representing Non-Vessel Operating Container Carriers who operate fleets of marine containers.

The NVOCC Principals represented by SLANA membership are mostly regional carriers, who operate shipping services within the Indian subcontinent (including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives), Middle East Gulf Ports (including, Dubai, Sohar, Shuwaikh, Doha, Bandar Abbas, Umm Qasr), Far East Ports (including Singapore, Port Klang, Busan, Hai Phong, Taiwan, and Base Ports in China) and, more recently, expanded operations to include Russian Ports as well.

Wickramasinghe said looking back at early days, one of the most pressing challenges members faced was when feeder operators announced that NVOCCs could no longer use their port codes. At the time, this posed a major disruption to our operations. However, what seemed disastrous became a turning point. “It led to more streamlined collaboration between NVOCC operators and feeder operators, the introduction of a separate licensing category for NVOCCs, and direct access to port terminals for negotiating direct billing facility. I am proud to say that SLANA played a pivotal role in making these changes. It also brought our NVOCC community together, setting the tone for future cooperation and unity,” the Chairperson said.

She said that over the past year, SLANA has seen remarkable progress and a stronger sense of community. From insightful knowledge-sharing seminars and valuable networking events to inaugural SLANA Cricket Tournament, which was a tremendous success—each initiative has strengthened bonds.