THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

Rohan Abeywickrema who passed away on November 9 was my friend and professional colleague for over three decades. His contribution to my own life will live on to the end of my days, as it would in and through the life of countless others.

Rohan (or Rohaan as he would spell) joined the then Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSC) in 1973 as a Management Trainee fresh from school – Ananda College. His father passed away when he was 17 years and he decided to take responsibility for the family. He received a UN Fellowship for his higher studies and obtained a B.Sc. in International Transport from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK. On his return in 1978, he was appointed to the R&D Department of the CSC.

He provided leadership for a 560 TEU container service replacing break bulk, the first of its kind in South Asia and was instrumental in negotiating Neptune Orient Lines, Singapore, one of the best in South Asia at that time to partner with CSC. His proposal for a service to USA via Hong Kong also materialised when Maersk Lines entered in 1983. His contributions to the shipping sector in that critical time of reform and advent to containerization were significant, particularly his pioneering work in promoting coastal / feeder shipping which began in 1980. He was also one of the early promoters of digitalisation in shipping.

In 1986 he resigned from CSC, and as Manager of Coastal Shipping of Ceylon Shipping Lines, to which he had been seconded and co-founded Green Lanka Shipping (agents for Evergreen), thereafter Sea Consortium Lanka Ltd, where he was its Managing Director before setting up Sathsindu- a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) company in 1990.

My association with Rohan began during my early days with the Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT), later the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT). In 1978, Rohan was one of first Sri Lankans to become a member of CIT, most likely the first from the