Charting progress: CASA's impact on crewing in Sri Lanka

From hidden potential to national priority: How Sri Lanka plans to triple its seafarer workforce and create a $ 1.5 b maritime industry

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SRI Lanka's crewing industry is undergoing a transformative revival, with ambitious plans to increase its seafarer workforce from 16,000 to 50,000 and grow the sector's economic contribution from $ 400 million to $ 1.5 billion within the next five years. Spearheading this movement is the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA), the apex body of the country's maritime and logistics industry, now actively leading efforts to institutionalise crewing as a national priority.

While historically overshadowed by port and infrastructure matters, the crewing sector gained new momentum in 2022 when CASA was a key stakeholder driving this bold step of initiating a comprehensive study that eventually culminated in a national policy framework. This policy, developed over the course of a year with key industry stakeholders, outlines six core objectives that address growth, global branding, regulation, and international cooperation.

The six strategic objectives are:

■Workforce expansion: Triple the current number of seafarers to 50,000.

■Economic scaling: Increase sectoral contribution from $ 400 million to $ 1.5 billion.

■Global branding: Position Sri Lankan seafarers as a 'boutique' elite brand, globally recognised for excellence.

■Ideal candidate profiling: Ensure only top-tier recruits enter the profession, building global ambassadors.

■Training and regulatory reform: Modernise the training landscape and upgrade STCW compliance to suit contemporary vessel technologies.

■International engagement: Pursue global promotion, G2G agreements, and strategic MoUs.

CASA's reemerging leadership