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GAC Sri Lanka, part of the global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC Group, is celebrating 25 years of operations in the country.
Made up of five companies – GAC Shipping, GAC Marine Services, GAC Logistics, McLarens Shipping and McOcean Logistics – GAC Sri Lanka is one of the country’s leaders in the provision of specialised shipping, marine and logistics support services today, with offices in Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee and Hambantota.
Mahesh Kurukulasuriya, managing director of GAC Sri Lanka, says the company has always put its customers at the heart of its operations. “For example, when we pioneered the concept of ship supply services off port limits at Galle back in 1994, we eliminated the need for vessels to make a port call, thus helping our customers save time and money.” GAC is also Sri Lanka’s only provider of ship-to-ship transfer services, using its own equipment and professional mooring masters. GAC Sri Lanka handled more than 4000 shipping, marine and logistics jobs in 2015, a number that the company believes will increase still further in 2016 and beyond.
Fredrik Nyström, GAC’s group vice president, Asia Pacific, says, “While looking back over the company’s first quarter of a century, we are now looking forward to what the future will bring. The outlook for growth in Sri Lanka’s maritime sector is optimistic. At a time when major global ports experienced declines in their cargo throughput, the Port of Colombo is bucking the trend and registered 5.9% growth in 2015.”
The Colombo Port City Project and the proposed largest import and export liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in South Asia at Hambantota port, are expected to further augment Sri Lanka’s existing port infrastructure and increase handling capacities significantly. Nyström adds, “Any increase in ship arrivals and capacities bodes well for ship services providers like GAC. We are always ready to handle new businesses and increased volumes through innovation and constant upgrading of our resources and skills.”
GAC Sri Lanka’s 25th Anniversary celebration was held at the Galle Face Hotel and was attended by customers, partners and colleagues from across the GAC Group. This included group co-chairman, Björn Engblom, group president, Bengt Ekstrand and group vice president Andrew Leach as well as Fredrik Nyström.
