Colombo Port’s congestion hits shippers

Exporters are once again grappling with disruptions as operational delays at the Port of Colombo force shipping lines to bypass the transhipment hub, diverting cargo to Indian ports instead, as per reports. The congestion stems from fully occupied terminal yards and the lack of efficient Inter-Terminal Transport (ITT) to move transhipment containers between Colombo’s multiple terminals. Unlike Colombo, newer facilities such as Vizhinjam in India operate as single-basin ports, allowing quicker vessel turnaround and posing a competitive threat to Sri Lanka’s transhipment dominance. Colombo must fast-track the commissioning of the West Container Terminal (WCT) and East Container Terminal (ECT) while creating a robust ITT system to handle transhipment cargo efficiently, industry players stressed. Despite these challenges, Colombo Port officials highlighted that in the first seven months of 2025, container throughput rose 4% to 4.7 million TEUs, reflecting continued demand, the reports said.

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