Minister Bimal Rathnayake has expressed Sri Lanka’s interest in entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore on Green and Digital Shipping Corridor collaboration, focusing on decarbonization and digitalization in the maritime sector.
Minister Rathnayake expressed these views during a discussion with Jeffrey Siow, the Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance of Singapore, recently.
Minister Rathnayake also invited Singaporean companies to explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s logistics sector and requested capacity-building support for Sri Lankan officials. He proposed that Sri Lanka be considered as a source country for the recruitment of bus drivers.
Acting Minister Siow conveyed Singapore’s readiness to engage constructively on the proposed MoU and undertook to relay the investment and recruitment proposals to the relevant Ministers.
The discussion was held on the sidelines of the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium and High-Level Bilateral Engagements in Singapore, which was attended by a Sri Lankan delegation led by Minister Bimal Rathnayake.
The Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation undertook the official visit to Singapore from 13 to 15 July 2025 to attend the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium and a series of high-level engagements. This visit underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in the aviation, maritime, and logistics sectors while advancing the country’s position as a regional transport and trade hub.
Furthermore, Minister Rathnayake participated as a speaker at the Ministerial and Industry Roundtable on 14 July 2025, themed “Shaping Tomorrow’s Transport: People, Technology, and Policy.” He joined a distinguished panel that included Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria; Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services of Saudi Arabia; Simon Kofe, Minister of Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovation of Tuvalu; Helena Sjöström Falk, President and CEO of IFATCA; Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir Ltd; and Mary Liew, General Secretary of the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union.
During the Roundtable, Minister Rathnayake highlighted the need for closer collaboration between the aviation and maritime sectors to enhance resilience across global transport networks. He also stressed the importance of regional cooperation and joint crisis response mechanisms. The minister noted Sri Lanka’s unique position as a regional air-sea gateway and outlined national efforts to integrate transport, highways, ports, and aviation under one ministry for the first time since independence, in order to harness synergies and drive strategic infrastructure development.
On 15 July, the Minister addressed the High-Level Panel on “Strategies to Support Safe Aviation Growth” at the opening of the 3rd Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS), which included transport leaders and civil aviation regulators. The minister emphasized that aviation safety remains one of the top national priorities in Sri Lanka, guided by a Master Plan aligned with ICAO standards and supported by strong political leadership. He also underscored that the integrated approach to managing land, sea, and air transport, with civil aviation playing a pivotal role in supporting tourism, trade, and global connectivity.
During a meeting with Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development, and Leader of the House of Singapore, Minister Rathnayake suggested the establishment of a Sri Lanka–Singapore Parliamentary Friendship Group to promote dialogue between the two legislatures and invited Minister Indranee Rajah to visit Sri Lanka with a parliamentary delegation. He also requested study visit opportunities for Sri Lankan parliamentary staff. Minister Indranee Rajah welcomed the proposal and offered to facilitate connections between Sri Lanka and Infrastructure Asia to explore partnerships with relevant agencies and investors for infrastructure projects, particularly for transport priorities.
On the sidelines of the symposium, Minister Rathnayake held meetings with Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). With Dominguez, the Minister requested specialized IMO training programs, guidance on updating national legislation in line with IMO conventions, and support for SLPA officers and Sri Lankan maritime professionals to participate in IMO-endorsed training courses. During his meeting with Salazar, Minister Rathnayake sought ICAO’s continued support to enhance Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Master Plan, including technical cooperation for audit readiness, digital transformation, and expanded training opportunities.
As part of his visit, Minister Rathnayake undertook a familiarization tour of Tuas Port, where he was briefed by officials of the PSA Group. These engagements provided valuable insights into port automation, integrated logistics management, and workforce development, which are areas Sri Lanka is keen to develop in its maritime modernization agenda. Further, the High Commission facilitated a briefing by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) Academy of Singapore, during which Minister Rathnayake explored opportunities for collaboration in maritime education and training. The Dean of the Academy offered slots for Sri Lankans to attend the Maritime Transformation and Innovation Programme scheduled for April 2026 and conveyed that the upcoming training calendar would be shared with Sri Lanka to facilitate greater participation by Sri Lankan professionals.
Taking the opportunity during the visit, the Minister experienced Singapore’s public transport system (Bus and MRT) firsthand, providing insights into its efficiency and user-centred design. He was briefed by Singaporean officials on the overall functioning of the network, including system integration, service standards, operational management and non-fare revenue models.
Minister Rathnayake was accompanied by High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore, Senarath Dissanayake, Additional Secretary (Development), Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, Tharani Anoja Gamage, Minister/Head of Chancery at the High Commission, Ahamed Razee and Minister Counsellor (Commercial) Bhagya Abeykoon, during the above engagements. (Newswire)