SLANA partners with ICS Sri Lanka for 2021 Customer Service Awards

The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) which sets the worldwide standard for professionalism in shipping, will be conducting the ICS Sri Lanka Branch’s 27th Annual Award Ceremony on 26 March, at the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo. Awards will be presented to students who completed ICS Diplomas and Qualifying Examinations for Membership status (MICS) in 2019 and 2020. Several members will also be obtaining the Fellowship status (FICS) of the Institute.  

Further it will be ICS’s 19th year in conducting the independent customer service surveys for shipping line agents and inland container depot operators. A special feature this year will be the inclusion of two awards under a new category for Agents of Non-Vessel Operating Container Carriers (NVOCC). The Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA) has partnered with ICS Sri Lanka to enable NVOCC agents to take part in the independent customer service survey, and stand a chance to win the ICS-SLANA Awards for the Best Customer Service Agent for the import and export categories. These awards which are highly recognised in the local shipping and logistics industry, highlights the best practices, and also helps to improve the industry service levels.  

The Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA), was formed by licensed freight forwarding and shipping agency companies, who represent international shipping principals known as non-vessel operating container carriers. These international principals own fleets of containers which include 20 ft. and 40 ft. – dry containers, refrigerated containers, liquid and gas carrying ISO tank containers, and dry special containers such as flat racks and open tops. The container shipping principals represented by the SLANA membership are mostly regional carriers, who operate shipping services within the Indian Sub-Continent including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives. They also operate from Colombo to Middle East Gulf Ports, and Far East Ports including base Ports in China and vice versa. 

During the past four-five years, NVOCC Lines continued to serve certain Middle Eastern Ports, which many of the main shipping lines had stopped serving. Thereby the NVOCC shipping lines have been extending a strong supporting hand to the Sri Lankan tea export industry. The NVOCC Principals issue their own Liner B/Ls and operate their fleets of containers by booking space on feeder and mainline container vessels.

Some SLANA members represent ISO Tank Container Principals who serve worldwide destinations, and these operators are involved in transporting cargo such as gas and bulk liquids. Both hazardous and non-hazardous or food grade products can be transported in tank containers, and this is a specialist trade which main shipping lines are not involved in. It is recorded that the global tank container fleet reached 686,650 tanks by 1 January 2021. Sri Lanka has also seen a rise in volumes of tank containers handled at the Port of Colombo. 

The Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents was formed in 2016 to promote and protect the interest of NVOCC agents in Sri Lanka, and also to formulate national policies together with Ministry of Ports and Shipping, and all other industry stakeholders. More information about the Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents activities is available on their website www.slanalk.com.