Colombo Port Enters Global Top 20 As Container Volumes Surge

The Port of Colombo has strengthened its position among the world’s fastest-growing major container hubs, handling 4.44 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, an 11.9% year-on-year increase, according to the latest Alphaliner figures. The growth moved Colombo from 26th globally at the end of 2025 to 20th in the first half of 2026.

Colombo handled 4,444,034 TEUs between January and June 2026, compared with 3,972,053 TEUs during the same period in 2025, an increase of 471,981 TEUs. The latest performance follows a record year in 2025, when the port handled approximately 8.3 million TEUs.

The sustained growth further reinforces Colombo’s role as a major Indian Ocean transshipment hub. With transshipment accounting for most of its container throughput, the port is increasingly integrated into international mainline and feeder networks linking East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Earlier figures showed Colombo handling 2.915 million TEUs between January and April 2026, up 13.9% year-on-year.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority said the latest figures demonstrate continued confidence from the global shipping industry and highlight Colombo’s growing importance to international trade networks. It stressed that capacity, efficiency, reliability and connectivity must continue to improve alongside rising demand.

The authority is pursuing further investments in container handling and logistics infrastructure, with potential investments of up to US$2 billion over the next one to three years through expansion projects and public-private partnerships.

With ports across the northern Indian Ocean also expanding their infrastructure, Sri Lanka views the changing regional maritime landscape as an opportunity to strengthen trade, investment and connectivity.

Colombo’s rise in the global rankings reflects its continuing transformation into a larger, more capable and increasingly important maritime and logistics hub serving Sri Lanka, the wider Indian Ocean region and global trade.