World’s biggest container vessel to ever enter into South Asia calls Colombo

The biggest ever container vessel to call South Asia, MV Milan Maersk of the Maersk Line made her maiden call at the Port of Colombo. The mega container carrier was berthed at the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT). To mark the maiden call of the vessel at the Port of Colombo, plaques were exchanged with the Master of the vessel – Capt. Jogvan Petersen, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the CICT and the Maersk Line.

MV Milan Maersk being called at the Port of Colombo

MV Milan Maersk is one of the world’s largest container vessels that has been built this year and owned by Maersk Line. Currently, she sails under the flag of Denmark. The ship is of 399m overall length and a beam of 58m with 20,568 TEU capacity. Her gross tonnage is 212,400 tons.

Expressing views at the occasion, Ambassador to the United States Atul Keshap stated that the Port of Colombo was of key importance for the overall prosperity and happiness of all Sri Lankans. “The efficient contributions in maritime operations by the Port of Colombo have made this port a very much important shipping and transshipment centre in the Indian Ocean. The US Ambassador also stated that the United States, in collaboration with all possible authorities was working ahead to ensure the Port of Colombo a much safer maritime centre for all the shippers. 

“We consider Colombo as a truly  important shipping and transshipment center for the Indian Ocean and  we are  heavily dedicated to working closely in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Ports Authority to help make it a safe, secure and a reliable and important port of call in the Indian Ocean,”  he added.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake speaking at the event thanked the Maersk Line for the confidence placed in Colombo by inducting one of the largest container vessels of the Maersk Fleet to Colombo South Harbour. He also said that Maersk line had been synonymous with the growth of the Port of Colombo. “We hope that Maersk will continue to grow the volumes of the Port of Colombo,” he said.

SLPA Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake being  handed over the plaque to commemorate the maiden voyage  of Milan Maersk  to the Port of Colombo by  Senior Director, Group Relations, South Asia, AP Moller Maersk Julian Bevis  

Julian Bevis – Senior Director, Group Relations South Asia of the Maersk Line India Ltd., speaking at the occasion stated that it was courageous to see the SLPA developing the Port of Colombo in keeping its nose in front in terms of competition, to provide operators the excellent service it offered. 

Maersk Sri Lanka Country Manager Zeeshan Mukhi added “The decision to call on Colombo with the Milan Maersk reiterates our commitment in bringing tremendous value to our customers in terms of scale and operational efficiencies. We are here for the long haul and want to grow profitably with the market, with faster transit times for our customers to help them reach out to the global market place in a cost-effective manner.”

MV Milan Maersk that marked its maiden call at the Port of Colombo as a part of the AE 1 Service which, at present, is the fastest service from Colombo into major North European countries such as the UK, Netherlands and Germany. 

SLPA Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake presenting the plaque from SLPA to the Master of MV Milan Maersk Capt. Jogvan Petersen to mark the container vessels maiden call at the Port of Colombo

The Maersk Line, the owner and operator of the Maersk Fleet with a presence in Sri Lanka for more than 25 years has continued to invest in the country to contribute its economy by bringing some of their latest and largest container vessels to Colombo.

At present, Maersk Line in Sri Lanka has 10 weekly services, which includes vessel sharing agreements, connecting Colombo with global ports with competitive transit times and high schedule reliability.  The company has a very strong understanding of the local market and leverages on differentiators such as: Weekly calls on all major ports, local expertise with a modern fleet of vessels, easy availability of equipment of its dry and reefer containers, specialized equipment for Garments on Hanger / Tea fit containers, triangulation, direct container drop off at terminals and 24/7 quote generation.

SLPA Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake in conversation with US Ambassador Atul Keshap and CICT Chief Executive Officer Ray Ten 

Representatives of SLPA including its Managing Director H.D.A.S. Premachandra, Harbour Master Capt. Athula Hewavitarana, Senior Deputy Harbour Master Capt. K.M.N.P. Silva, Chief Manager (Marketing and Business Development ) Upul Jayatissa, representatives of the CICT including its Chief Executive Officer Ray Ten, Chief Business Development Officer Tissa Wickramasinghe, Head of Commercial and Marketing Catriona Jayasundara and General Manager Operations Kumara Siriwardane were also present at the occasion.