SLANA Signs MoU with YoungShip Sri Lanka

SLANA Chairman Harsha De Silva (third from left) and YoungShip Chairman Rishantha Mendis shake hands after signing the MoU. Others (from left): SLANA Treasurer Ananda Senanayake, SLANA Secretary Surangi Gunasekara, YoungShip Vice Chair Maleena Awn, YoungShip Asst. Secretary Aruni Wijepala, YoungShip Asst. Treasurer Sunera Wijesekara and YoungShip Immediate Past Chairman Jehan Rodrigo

• Initiative aimed at increasing the role of the youth in Sri Lanka’s maritime and shipping industry

The Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA) has signed a key initiative with YoungShip Sri Lanka signifying the two organisations’ commitment to working towards advancing the future of the industry by creating a younger, more inclusive, and collaborative professional atmosphere that allows young maritime professionals to actively participate in the industry early on in their careers by providing a range of professional hands-on experience and training opportunities.

Recognised as the apex organisation that represents the NVOCC Agents in Sri Lanka to the world, SLANA signed the MoU to support YoungShip Sri Lanka – a non-profit organisation founded with the mission to support young members of the maritime and shipping industry – to help represent themselves as the premier youth forum of the SLANA organisation in Sri Lanka.

The collaboration between SLANA and YoungShip provides opportunities for knowledge sharing between youth and experienced professionals, event planning and organisation, and engagement in critical projects related to the maritime and shipping industry. The partnership is expected to ensure that younger leadership can leverage innovation, creativity, technology and fresh perspectives to inject a brand-new thought pattern to further ongoing established processes to improve industry’s current best practices.

Established in 2016, the mission of SLANA is to protect the interest of its trade in all aspects and provide a platform for SMEs that meaningfully contribute to the shipping industry and economy of the country. Relatively, its younger counterpart, YoungShip Sri Lanka, which was established in 2013, is recognised as the Sri Lankan branch of YoungShip International – a world-renowned professional non-profit organisation for young people working within the global maritime industry.

The youth organisation welcomes members (between the age of 20 to 40) from all areas of the industry (from students to established professionals) who share the passion and belief that young people are the most significant constituents to ensuring growth and ongoing success for the industry. Through this venture, the parties are confident that the move will uplift more youth professionals involved in the maritime and shipping industry.