SLPA Chief singles out CWIT contribution for Colombo Port’s growth in 2026

Monday, 5 October 2026 04:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake last week singled out the contribution of the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) for Colombo Port’s success so far 2026.

Speaking at the ceremony to celebrate CWIT’s achievement of 2 million TEU milestone and launch of its second phase, SLPA Chief said during the first eight months of 2026, port of Colombo witnessed a phenomenal 11.6% double-digit growth and Colombo has emerged as amongst the top 20 container ports in the world.

“Let me say that if not for the CWIT capacity inducted this year, the Port of Colombo would have witnessed a negative growth. Next year again, by and large, the growth of the Port of Colombo would be coming from CWIT,” Dr. Dissanayake said.

“The launch of CWIT, a state-of-the-art automated container terminal, the first of its kind in the port of Colombo is a historic milestone,” SLPA Chief added in his remarks at the ceremony attended by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Indian High Commission Santosh Jha, Ports and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka, orts and Aviation Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, Adani Ports and SEZ CEO Ashwani Gupta and John Keells Holdings PLC Chairperson Krishan Balendra.

Dr. Dissanayake also observed that a great port is more than a place where ships arrive and depart. It's a gateway through which nations meet the world.

He pointed out that the primary challenge the maritime industry is going through was the disruption in the supply chain globally.

SLPA Chief revealed that globally 4 million TEUs are tied up in anchorage on a given date for a berth. In Colombo we are talking about only 12,500 TEUs tied up waiting for a berth.

“So what matters the most is not the number of ships at anchorage but terminal velocity. How fast the system can process it. The bottleneck has moved from sea to land,” Dr. Dissanayake said.

According to him, CWIT, an automated terminal, is the answer to the global container shipboard capacity, which is 34 million TEUs globally. «All ships put together, the top five shipping lines control 65%. As a port, we need to deliver a unique product collectively through cooperation,” he added.

He said that SLPA has realised that as a Port to grow, it has to establish a unique, multidimensional proposition. “We have decided to launch a common user logistics centre within the Colombo port. It will be a game changer as for decades, we have only been a transhipment hub but very soon we will emerge as a logistics hub.

Dr. Dissanayake also said: “Geography has given us a privilege; it›s a blessing. But through partnership like this, we need to convert that privilege into an opportunity. It is a partnership between a global giant Adani, a highly respected and proactive Sri Lankan company in John Keells, and the State through SLPA.”

He also said that the Colombo port is building a new dynamic future. “From the port of Colombo, our island reaches out to the world, carrying with it, the hopes, the hopes of a nation and the promise of Sri Lanka.”