MONETABRIEF – Sri Lanka's shipping, logistics and maritime sector can grow if more competition and foreign investment is allowed, Chair of the US Federal Maritime Commission Laura DiBella said.
"Competition is something that is needed in order to encourage innovation, in order to encourage more growth," DiBella told participants of the Colombo International Maritime & Logistics Conference organized by Shippers' Academy Colombo and Shippers’ Academy International.
"It's there to encourage investment, foreign direct investment as well. You need to de-risk your business environment in order to allow more foreign investment in.
"If there's only a certain amount of foreign investment that is allowed in, that is too risky. No one will take that flying leap.
"You need to allow foreign investment to come in. You need to let business be the lead. I ran a public-private partnership, two of them."
In Sri Lanka container terminal operations are open to foreign investors but warehousing, logistics are restricted and shipping agency business is closely held and liberalization is resisted.
The Federal Maritime Commission has jurisdiction over domestic and also international shipping as it affects US trade, she said.
"We want to promote competition. Competition is what we are all about," DiBella said.
"We pay attention to how, if there's any cartel activity going on.
"If there's any great exploitation, if there's any sort of surcharges that have significant effects on the cargo themselves, which ultimately gets absorbed by the consumer. So that's what we are looking for."
A large volume of US cargo moved through Colombo. She said the FMC team however is not in Sri Lanka to do any enforcement action.
"You certainly see a lot of growth around there," DiBella said. "The past couple days have taken in a lot of information, and we're still digesting it all.
"But the amount of growth and potential that is here in Colombo and Sri Lanka as a whole, by comparison around the world, is immense, absolutely immense, and there is so much that can be done." (Colombo/Sept11/2026)