The Government of the United States of America (USA) held the Driving Sustainable Development in the Ports Sector event hosted by the US Embassy. The event showcased how the ports and shipping industries can reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining efficiency. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Maldives Ports Limited, South Asia Gateway Terminal, Colombo West International Terminal, and other stakeholders, also shared their expertise at the event, which was attended by over 100 business leaders from Sri Lanka and Maldives. 

The United States Government aims to pursue new avenues of collaboration to support sustainable growth in the ports, shipping, and logistics sectors in Sri Lanka and the region. These will play a vital role in strengthening global supply chains, emphasized Ms. Julie Chung, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Ms. Chung, who delivered the keynote address, remarked that investments to improve port and shipping infrastructure will drive significant economic development in Sri Lanka, Maldives and other countries in the region. 

Projects presented at the event included the following:  

• US-funded $553 million project to build a deep-water shipping container terminal in the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The project will boost the potential of Colombo to become a world-class logistics hub at the intersection of major shipping routes and emerging markets 

• Australian government-funded port development assistance in Bangladesh through a presentation by the International Finance Corporation  

• Government of Japan-funded port security assistance in Sri Lanka by the by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 

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Investing in ports will benefit Sri Lanka, Maldives and countries across the region