13,000 containers remain congested across all terminals at Colombo port

Wednesday, 24 December 2025 04:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

High level meeting on the congestion discuss temporary measures to ease situation
Industry highlights urgent need for decisive action rather than recurring discussions

Over 13,000 containers remain congested at the Colombo port a top level meeting on the crisis was told yesterday.

The meeting was convened with the Ports Minister, Deputy Minister, Ports Ministry Secretary, Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman, Customs Director General, Customs Additional Director General, and Ports Authority and Customs senior Directors, along with key stakeholders. Participants included representatives from CHA Traders Association, ACFA, Wharf representatives, transport trade unions, and SLSI officials.

During the meeting, it was proposed that the newly constructed parking yard be converted into an additional Customs examination bay, particularly for foodstuff containers, as suggested by JVP Wharf Union representative Ranjith Liyanarachi.

The Customs Director General further suggested that containers requiring OGA (Other Government Agency) approvals be parked at this new yard until respective OGAs issue release orders.

Several operational issues were discussed, including delivery order delays and the need to update SMS-based container movement (in/out) notifications to transporters’ associations.

The CHA Traders Association requested that, until congestion is cleared, permission be granted for outside-panel examinations at consignees’ warehouses for all containers, to expedite clearance.

The issue relating to 323 containers, currently subject to objections raised at the Parliamentary Opposition and committee level, was also discussed. However, no decisions were reached on this matter.

CHA Traders Association said overall, while numerous trade-related concerns were raised, no concrete or time-bound decisions were taken to resolve the ongoing congestion. This meeting remained largely a discussion, similar to many held over the past several years.

It also said despite repeated deliberations, the core problem of container congestion at the Port of Colombo continues unresolved, highlighting the urgent need for decisive action rather than recurring discussions.