At the awards ceremony organised by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) (UK) – Sri Lanka Branch, Hapag‑Lloyd Lanka, a subsidiary of Aitken Spence PLC and the local representative of Hapag‑Lloyd AG, Hamburg, was recognised with two Customer Service Awards for excellence in the Europe and Mediterranean trades.

Founded in 1911 and granted a Royal Charter in 1920, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) (UK) is dedicated to promoting professionalism across the international maritime industry. Its longstanding global recognition affirms its position as the premier professional body setting the highest standards of service excellence in shipping.

Commenting on the achievement, Hapag-Lloyd Lanka Vice President Mr. Lalith Witanachchi stated,

“Winning the Best Customer Service Provider award for the Europe sector for six consecutive years, along with the Mediterranean sector award, reflects our continued focus on customer-centric service delivery. Our approach has been to consistently align our operations with evolving customer expectations, while investing in capacity building for our staff through partnerships with professional bodies. This has enabled us to foster a strong learning culture within the organisation, ensuring continuous development and service excellence. Furthermore, our close alignment with the strategic direction of our principals has been instrumental to delivering consistent and sustainable performance.”

Hapag-Lloyd Lanka Assistant Vice President Dr. Geeth Kumarasinghe added, “These recognitions underscore the progress we have made through our ongoing transformation initiatives. Over the past year, we have strengthened our operational capabilities through the implementation of a CRM platform, enabling enhanced customer engagement and service visibility. In addition, the introduction of extended working hours has allowed us to better support our customers’ dynamic requirements. These initiatives, along with continuous process improvements and the strong organisational culture shared between Aitken Spence and Hapag-Lloyd AG, have been instrumental in driving our performance.”

Hapag-Lloyd AG is one of the world’s leading container shipping lines, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and is ranked among the top five global liner shipping companies. The company operates a large container fleet and was recently recognized as one of the top five mainline operators at the Colombo Port Awards Ceremony.

Hapag-Lloyd Lanka is a joint venture between Aitken Spence Maritime and Hapag-Lloyd AG. Aitken Spence Maritime is a pioneer in the industry and was the first Sri Lankan company to undertake port efficiency enhancement management overseas, with operations expanding into Africa and subsequently the South Pacific Islands. The company provides a comprehensive range of maritime services, including ship agency, cargo handling, liner agency services, cruise vessel operations, port management and development, chartering, bunkering, and maritime education.

Image Caption : Mr. Kirk Baldsing, Deputy General Manager (Europe and Mediterranean Sectors) receiving the Best Customer Service Provider award from Advisor to the President on Maritime, Ports and Logistics and the Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake.