MV OEL Dubai sails to Colombo

Sarath MALALASEKERA

Orient Express Lines created history in the Port of Colombo recently when MV 'OEL Dubai' sailed into the Port of Colombo.

Left to right- SLPA Managing Director Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, SLPA Chairman Dr. PB Wickrema,OEL Chairman S. Ramakrishnan, OEL Vice President Marius Gomes and MV OEL Dubai Master Cpt. Prakash Pillai.

MV‘OEL Dubai’.

Principals Orient Express Lines declared that the vessel was to be deployed on the Colombo-Cochin shuttle.

This was indeed creating history in the annals of the Port of Colombo, as it was the first instance where a common carrier feeder vessel was coming in straight from the builders to be used on a Colombo shuttle. February 13, 2012 marked another milestone when MV 'OEL Dubai' completed 200 voyages on this shuttle over the Port of Colombo, said Orient Express Lines Vice President Marius Gomes.

To commemorate this remarkable feat a ceremony was held on- board the vessel. The Orient Express Lines Chairman S. Ramakrishnan made a special visit to Sri Lanka to attend the ceremony. Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. PB Wickrema, SLPA Managing Director Capt. Nihal Keppetipola and several other senior port authority officials also participated at the ceremony.

Orient Express Lines (OEL) which commenced calling Colombo as far back as 1992 has been long serving the Colombo trade for the last 20 years, as a feeder operator and has an array of services calling various ports in the region, It's today tagged as one of the premier feeder operators in the region.

Coincidently the Trans World Group of Companies which is the parent company to which Orient Express Lines belongs, is completing 35 years this year.

Today OEL serves over Colombo the Ports of Cochin, Tuticorin in and Chennai in India, Chittagong in Bangladesh and has recently added Male to this list.