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Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) is in the process of establishing a new joint venture with John Keells Holdings (JKH) in Sri Lanka to offer wide range of services in support of voyage logistics. The newly created Inchcape Mackinnon Mackenzie expands Inchcape’s regional operation based in Mumbai and enables ISS to deliver maritime services in areas such as bunkering, husbandry and crew changes for a wide range of vessels calling at all ports of Sri Lanka.
Inchcape’s commercial manager for the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, Koushik Chakraborty, points out a major challenge for vessels traversing this major sea passage is securing high-quality bunker fuel at competitive prices with minimal route deviation and time-definite delivery.
The new venture is able to arrange more economic bunkering at the ports of Colombo and Galle, as well as bunkering at anchorage at Hambantota.
This is facilitated by the country’s primary supplier of marine bunker fuels and lubricants, Lanka Marine Services, which is part of the John Keells Group’s ports and shipping business along with South Asia Gateway Terminals.
“Our scale allows us to offer sharp prices and guaranteed time-definite delivery to facilitate fast turnaround. This provides a significant saving to the ships versus many other international ports where bunkers are taken at anchorage or alongside,” Chakraborty says.
In the UAE, Inchcape has expanded its team of bunker quality surveyors working out of Fujairah. The company is now rolling out a similar service at other UAE locations including off Ras Al Khaimah and Jebel Ali.
