The Colombo International Maritime and Logistics Conference is held in South Asia on a rotational basis among the maritime nations of the sub-continent. The focus of the conference is to bring in the shipping, ports and logistics industry to discuss the regional developments of each sector.

South Asia being identified as a strong emerging economic geography of the world, led by India, also connects vital shipping and logistics networks in the Indian Ocean from Middle east to East Asia through the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal.

Port sector developments and maritime connectivity are considered key pillars for economic development for South Asian countries. The Colombo Internal Maritime and Logistics Conference is designed to discuss the regional maritime geography, investments, infrastructure gap analysis, commercial opportunities and security aspects such as cybercrime. In addition to the maritime and port sector, the conference has a special focus on logistics and related backward integration services along with talent development. The conference will also discuss emerging competition among the global maritime industry, sustainability in the regional ports and future direction of ports / logistics performance as core subject areas.

The 7th edition of the maritime and logistics conference is scheduled to be held from 27 to 29 November at the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 2025, the Port of Colombo will be adding nearly 100% of new container capacity, making Colombo one of the largest transshipment hubs in the Indian Ocean, and will be focusing on becoming a green port providing automated terminals and development of environmentally friendly fuel supplies. India, being identified as the third largest economy by 2030, will create many new opportunities for shipping and logistics companies to expand services to South Asia. Sri Lanka being a strategic island, will play a key role in the shipping and logistics industry to support the regional growth.

The conference will feature international port operators, shipping companies, logistics companies, ancillary services companies and technology partners to understand the global perspectives in addition to the South Asian focus. This should be an ideal platform to understand the regional maritime economies, investment opportunities and to build commercial partnerships to facilitate increasing logistics requirements among the regional countries.

As in the past, many international speakers will be attending the three-day conference with 500 delegates expected to take part. The event will include port visits and networking sessions.