A high-level Sri Lankan delegation joined the U.S. Forum on Indian Ocean Ports and Supply Chains in Washington, D.C. last week, underscoring Colombo’s role in regional maritime connectivity, Newswire reported.

The forum was convened and funded by the U.S. Department of State and brought together Indo-Pacific partners, port operators and U.S. private sector leaders to explore resilient infrastructure, secure supply chains, and expanded investment opportunities across the Indian Ocean. Delegates from Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka discussed port development, digital transformation paired with cybersecurity, trade financing, and supply chain efficiency.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Deputy Assistant Secretary Bethany Morrison opened the forum alongside senior U.S. officials and private sector representatives, framing secure and well-connected regional ports as both an economic imperative and a U.S. national security priority.

The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku and Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Direct Investment Hanif Yusoof. It also included Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Shippers Academy Colombo CEO Rohan Masakorala, Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association Chairman Andre Fernando, Colombo West International Terminal Chief Commercial Officer Dashma Karunaratne, ABC Shipping Chairman John Shiran Dissanayake, and Aritha Wickramasinghe, Chief of Staff to the FDI envoy’s office.

During their visit the delegation also toured the Port of Baltimore, meeting port officials and industry stakeholders to study operations, logistics, equipment, digital platforms, and supply chain management.

The forum lands in the same week that Sri Lanka’s port chair signalled major capacity expansion at Colombo to handle 9.3 million TEUs of 2026 demand, and weeks after Beijing’s heavy-lift BESS consignments transited through CICT — illustrating the cross-bloc nature of Colombo’s port pipeline.

Source: Newswire — Sri Lankan delegation joins US forum on Indian Ocean ports and supply chains.