The new Colombo port is expected to increase annual capacity to 13 million containers from the current 4.5 million.
The industry says staff needs to be academically qualified and trained in port operations, logistics, and international trade to make ports efficient.
"Shipping lines will look at the most efficient port to get into and our staff will need to be trained in operational aspects, how international trade works, custom procedures, supply chain management and foreign exchange market" Masakorala said.
Competency in human capital will give the island the competitive edge over India on top of its strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
"We need to start training people at different levels and get them academically qualified for us to be an efficient hub in the region" Masakorale said.
Many of those working in the logistics have had no formal training but had acquired the skills over time.
"We don’t have enough skilled staff and our people have a general under