Port of Colombo transshipment surge drives robust container growth in August

The Port of Colombo reported a significant surge in container handling in August 2025, marking a strong growth, driven by a robust increase in transshipment volumes.

This performance signals continued positive momentum for the port’s activities, in particular driven by the recently commissioned Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT).

The total container throughput for August reached 741,124 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a substantial 16.8 percent increase, compared to the 634,554 TEUs handled in the same month last year. The strong monthly performance positively impacted the cumulative figures for the year, which now stand at 5,434,838 TEUs, reflecting a 5.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth for the first eight months of 2025.

The primary driver of this growth was the transshipment sector, which saw a 16.1 percent YoY jump to 592,413 TEUs in August. Consequently, the port’s year-to-date transshipment volumes are now up by 3.8 percent.

The port also experienced growth in local trade volumes, with the import containers (total TEUs) increasing by 0.6 percent YoY to 57,604 TEUs and the export containers (total TEUs) rising by 5.9 percent YoY to 56,011 TEUs.

All major terminals contributed to the month’s positive results in TEUs. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority-managed JCT, UCT and ECT terminals handled a combined 206,655 TEUs in transshipment, a 9.5 percent YoY increase. SAGT transshipment recorded a 0.8 percent rise, with 168,754 TEUs, while CLCT was down -5.4 percent to 263,465 TEUs. Notably, the Adani-JKH’s CWIT terminal, with its new operations, handled 102,250 TEUs in transshipment.

Reflecting the increased container traffic, the total cargo handled at the port in August saw a decrease of -16.2 percent YoY to 9,676,899 tonnes. Ship arrivals, however, showed growth, with total ships arrived up by 7.7 percent and container ship arrivals growing by 9.0 percent YoY for the month.

 (NF)