With India looking very positively at becoming a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles (EV), joint venture partners are looking very closely at Hambantota International Port (HIP) as the key transhipment point for their markets in the east and west of the island. HIP participated in the recently held ‘ET Auto Electric Vehicle Conclave 2023’ organised in Delhi.
“On the sidelines of the conference, we were able to connect with a large number of potential customers who would see the advantages of transshipping through Hambantota International Port. While the location is a key factor, our health and safety protocols and zero tolerance to accidents is an attractive proposition for those who wish to use this southern Sri Lankan port,” says Bindu Ranasinghe, Deputy General Manager (Commercial and Marketing), Hambantota International Port Group Pvt Ltd. (HIPG) who attended the event held under the theme ‘Plug-In For Efficient Adoption’.
An initiative by ETAuto.com India, the conference was partnered by big names in the auto, tech and logistics industries. Speakers at the forum included the founder & CEO of Ola Electric, Managing Director, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited, and the Managing Director of Volvo Car India. Other top brands in the industry also participated including Hero Electric, JBM Group, Lumax Group, Reliance Industries, Greaves Electric Mobility, Maruti Suzuki, Kinetic Green, and Panasonic India. The Chief Guest for the event was Hon. Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways of India.
Bindu Ranasinghe had the opportunity to be part of the panel discussion on "Building a sustainable & atmanirbhar (self-reliant) supply chain.” He also made a presentation on HIP’s developments and potential at the conference.
“We’re happy with the response we received. Since HIP sees beyond logistics and shipping, we need to understand the source market and the nuances involved in the marketing and manufacturing of electric vehicles and also connect with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This is the primary reason we took part in this forum. HIP is the newest port in the east, west shipping lanes, which has the ability to grow its capacity in the transhipment of vehicles. Our RORO volumes have grown over the past few years. EVs are the current trend, so we need to make sure we are prepared for them. We have already started setting up charging stations and special towing equipment for EV cargo. Since we have been focusing on benchmarking and meeting industry standards, we need to stay updated on this sector since we have our primary customer base in India,” says the Deputy General Manager (Commercial and Marketing) of HIPG.