The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has won the bid to hold the 12 Asia-Oceania Regional Meeting and Port Forum in March 2012. The forum will be conducted by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) and is expected to be attended by 500 delegates. The SLPA is also planning the country’s first Sri Lanka International Air Freight, Shipping and Logistics Expo to run at the same time as…

The G6 Alliance carriers, comprising APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK and OOCL, have announced their first batch of six joint Asia-Europe services in the first week of March. Services calling at Japanese ports will start later after consulting the Japan Harbour Transportation Association and labour unions. And the alliance said it will launch a seventh service with direct coverage to Chinese Bohai Bay ports in Dalian and Xingang…

Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Ministry has drawn up a white paper calling for public comment on its proposed policy change in the aviation sector, to shift the focus to infrastructure development and promotion of air cargo and transhipment. The new policy would be facilitated by country’s two main carriers, SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka, reports the Colombo Sunday Times. The report said that the policy being drafted is part of…

Hong Kong-listed China Merchants Holdings International (CMHI) is buying Sri Lanka-based Aitken Spence’s 30 per cent share in Colombo International Container Terminals, making the Chinese company the largest shareholder with 85 per cent control. CMHI and Aitken Spence has been joint venture partners in running the Sri Lanka’s container terminal operations. Together with CMHI, Aitken Spence was the only bidder for a terminal project worth US$500 million in 2009 under…