Tuesday Dec 30, 2025
Tuesday Dec 30, 2025
Tuesday, 30 December 2025 03:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Colombo Port
Total container volumes handled by the Colombo Port rose 7.1% year-on-year (YoY) to 6.92 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in the first 10 months of 2025, supported by a strong expansion in domestic container traffic, even as transhipment activity continued to account for the bulk of throughput and remain central to Colombo’s regional hub role, data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) showed.
Transhipment container volumes increased 5.1% YoY to 5.52 million TEUs during the January–October period, up from 5.25 million TEUs a year earlier. Despite the more moderate pace of growth, transhipment continued to dominate port activity, accounting for close to four-fifths of total container throughput.
Domestic container volumes, however, recorded a sharper expansion, rising 13.9% YoY to 1.1 million TEUs in the first 10 months of 2025, compared to 0.96 million TEUs in the corresponding period of 2024. The stronger domestic performance points to firmer import and export activity linked to the local economy, even as Colombo’s port operations remain structurally reliant on transhipment flows serving the wider region.
Momentum strengthened further in October. Total container volumes for the month rose 10.8% YoY to 744,792 TEUs, compared to 672,051 TEUs in October 2024. Transhipment volumes increased 7.9% YoY to 578,930 TEUs from 536,611 TEUs, while domestic container volumes climbed 16.5% to 123,962 TEUs, up from 106,395 TEUs a year earlier, reinforcing the faster growth trajectory in domestic cargo.
Re-stowing volume grew 22.8% to 0.31 million TEUs in the first 10 months of 2025, with October recording 41,900 metric tons (MT), up 44% from a year ago.
In cargo terms, the Colombo Port handled 105 million MT in the first 10 months of 2025, reflecting a 4.4% increase from a year ago. Cargo discharged rose 4.7% YoY to 58 million MT, while cargo loaded increased 3.9% to 47 million MT over the same period.
The CBSL noted that its port volume data covers activity at the Colombo Port. However, broader maritime activity across the country also strengthened, with ship traffic into the Ports of Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee, and Hambantota increasing 12.5% YoY to 4,251 vessels in the first 10 months of 2025. October alone recorded 459 vessel calls, up 12.8% from the corresponding month last year.
