October 05, Colombo (LNW): Hambantota International Port has passed a significant milestone in its container operations, recording more than one million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) since the introduction of its new quay cranes last year.
The port handled 428,036 TEUs during 2025, while volumes recorded so far this year have climbed to 574,196 TEUs. Combined, the figures bring Hambantota’s cumulative container throughput to 1,002,232 TEUs.
Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) Chief Executive Officer Wilson Qu said the achievement reflected the port’s growing role in regional maritime trade and its progress towards establishing itself as a competitive international container hub.
Much of the recent expansion has been driven by the port’s relationship with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), its leading container customer. The partnership has contributed to a series of operational records as container activity at Hambantota has gathered momentum.
In April, MSC Marie Leslie set a new vessel-handling record at the port after completing 7,968 container moves, equivalent to 13,260 TEUs, during a single call. The performance surpassed earlier records achieved by MSC Ilenia and MSC Ruby in March.
The upward trend continued into June, when the port processed 80,325 TEUs in a single month — its highest monthly container volume to date.
With cargo volumes continuing to rise, HIP has embarked on a major expansion of its container-handling facilities. The programme includes increasing berth utilisation, enlarging the container yard, expanding refrigerated-container facilities and upgrading infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels.
A central component of the expansion is a US$108 million investment in new cargo-handling equipment. The port is set to acquire six additional quay cranes and 16 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, with the new machinery scheduled to be commissioned by the end of February 2027.
The additional equipment is expected to strengthen both ship-to-shore and yard operations, while helping reduce vessel turnaround times. It will also enable the port to make greater use of a further 1,300 metres of berth space, taking the total length of its container quay to almost two kilometres.
The container yard itself is due to be expanded by approximately 30 per cent, creating additional storage capacity as cargo volumes increase.
The longer-term objective is to build Hambantota into a major container gateway capable of handling up to two million TEUs annually, potentially giving the port a considerably larger role in connecting Sri Lanka with major shipping routes across the region.
HIP Chief Operations Officer Tommy Yang said the expansion programme was being calibrated against anticipated market growth and customer requirements, with investments being introduced in line with the port’s evolving operational needs.
The latest milestone comes as Hambantota seeks to strengthen its position within the increasingly competitive South Asian transhipment and container-handling market.
