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Colombo Port Container Performance
Growth trends and terminal volumes at Colombo Port (2025 projections)
Primary Sources
EXPLAINER – How to reverse the decline of Sri Lanka's Colombo Port
ECONOMYNEXT – Adani Ports-controlled Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) is a vision of the future. Its quayside cranes that move containers between ships and trucks and yard cranes, which stack them up six high temporarily, are operated remotely from its main building. Data from crane-mounted cameras and sensors are used by teams, including young women not normally known to be employed as longshoremen, to manoeuvre containers between ships, trucks and yards using joysticks. Indian Adani Port’s CWIT unit is growing at a record pace, handling 1 million twenty-foot containers (TEUs) in just a year since commencing and with just eight quayside cranes, as civil works to complete the terminal continue. At full capacity, Colombo’s newest and most technologically advanced port terminal expects to employ 250 people, up from 172 now. “We can then handle 3.5 million containers a year,” says Iresh Siriwardena, CWIT’s chief operating officer. With two other private sector-built and operated container terminals, SAGT and Chinese-owned CICT, and three state-owned ones, Jaya, East Container Terminal, and Unity, Colombo handled 8.2 million containers in 2025, making it a global top 25 seaport by volume (Chart 1). Record Container Volume Number of twenty-foot equivalent containers handled (TEU, Mn) It’s long been contended by the state that Sri Lanka’s maritime industry punches above its weight. Colombo port handles 0.8% of global container traffic, while Sri Lanka’s share of global trade is less than a tenth of that, at 0.05%. Major hub seaports to the east and west of Sri Lanka; Dubai at (2.3%) and Singapore at (4.5%) handle a much larger share of containers (Chart 2). Sri Lanka is no manufacturing superpower, but it is a major hub for transshipment. Punching above its weight Share of global container traffic and trade Shifting economic geography During the 1980s and 1990s, container seaport rankings were dominated by the likes of Singapore, Hong Kong, Rotterdam, and Kobe. It was only in 1996 that Colombo port’s container terminal, at the time, the state-controlled Jaya Container Terminal or JCT, achieved the 1 million TEU milestone. Japan funded JCT’s first phase, which was completed in 1985. China became the world’s factory during the 1990s, and the export success of East Asian Tiger economies led to growth at ports like Singapore and Southeast Asian ones like those in Malaysia. The UN Trade and Development Organisation ranked Sri Lanka 20th globally for shipp...
Colombo Port Decline: Can Sri Lanka Save Its Hub? -
Colombo Port faces declining efficiency despite record volumes, as experts warn Sri Lanka must fix customs, congestion and port governance. Colombo Port decline has become a serious concern despite record container volumes, as experts warn Sri Lanka must urgently fix efficiency, customs and governance failures. The Adani Ports-controlled Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) presents a glimpse of what the country’s maritime future could look like. Its quayside cranes, which move containers between ships and trucks, and yard cranes, which temporarily stack containers six high, are operated remotely from the terminal’s main building. Data from crane-mounted cameras and sensors are used by teams, including young women not traditionally associated with longshore work, to move containers between ships, trucks and yards using joysticks. Follow The Morning Telegraph WhatsApp Channel Get breaking updates, instant alerts, and exclusives. Join Now Indian Adani Port’s CWIT unit is growing at record speed, handling 1 million twenty-foot containers, or TEUs, within just one year of commencing operations and with only eight quayside cranes, while civil works to complete the terminal continue. At full capacity, Colombo’s newest and most technologically advanced port terminal expects to employ 250 people, up from 172 at present. “We can then handle 3.5 million containers a year,” says Iresh Siriwardena, CWIT’s Chief Operating Officer. With two other private sector-built and operated container terminals, SAGT and Chinese-owned CICT, and three state-owned terminals, Jaya, East Container Terminal, and Unity, Colombo handled 8.2 million containers in 2025. That made it one of the world’s top 25 seaports by volume. Record Container Volume Number of twenty-foot equivalent containers handled, TEU, Mn. Sri Lanka’s maritime sector has long claimed that it punches above its weight. Colombo Port handles 0.8% of global container traffic, while Sri Lanka’s share of global trade is less than one-tenth of that, at 0.05%. Major hub seaports to the east and west of Sri Lanka, Dubai at 2.3% and Singapore at 4.5%, handle far larger shares of global containers. Sri Lanka is not a manufacturing superpower. But it is a major hub for transshipment. Punching Above Its Weight Share of global container traffic and trade. Shifting Economic Geography During the 1980s and 1990s, global container seaport rankings were dominated by ports such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Rotterdam...
Colombo Port Growth Masks Deepening Governance and Operational Risks ...
The comprehensive master plan is designed to guide the future development of all commercial ports in Sri Lanka and support long-term maritime sector expansion. Sources said at the Colombo East Container Terminal (CECT), Phase I operations are already underway using four newly commissioned gantry cranes.
Colombo Port City rises with green Chinese solutions
It creates varying water depths through a stepped structure, allowing coral to thrive in suitable water depths and ample sunlight. These moves underscore that the Colombo Port City project serves as a model for promoting Sri Lanka's economic and social development through Chinese solutions.
