The Colombo Port experienced a decline in transshipment volumes in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Transshipment volumes for the first three months ending March 2025 (Q1 25) fell by 6.3 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 1.53 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), down from 1.64 million TEU in the first quarter of 2024. This marks a sharp contrast to the strong growth the port experienced in the first and last parts of 2024, which benefited from diversions caused by disruptions in the Red Sea.
Earlier this year, major shipping companies withdrew some of their services from Colombo amid heavy congestion, and those services have yet to return to the Port of Colombo. On a positive note, in March, transshipment volumes saw a small annual decline of 3.3 percent compared to the sharp decline in February. However, transshipment volumes fell in all three months of this year.
The contribution of transshipment to the port’s overall container throughput also declined, standing at 79 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 82 percent in the same period in 2025. Overall, the Port of Colombo handled a total container throughput of 1.94 million TEUs in Q1 25, representing a 3.6 percent year-on-year decrease from the 2 million TEUs handled in Q1 24.
Analyzing terminal performance for the quarter, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA)-run Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), Unity Container Terminal (UCT) and Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) together handled 620,229 TEUs, a five percent year-on-year decline. The Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) processed 807,557 TEUs, marking a 9.6 percent year-on-year decline. In contrast, the South Asian Gateway Terminal (SAGT) recorded a 9.2% YoY increase, handling 504,790 TEUs in Q1FY25.
Meanwhile, the newly commissioned Adani-JKH managed Western Container Terminal (WCT) handled 3,552 TEUs in the quarter. The fully automated terminal commenced its operations in late March 2025.
Total vessel arrivals at the port saw a slight decline in Q1FY25, declining by 2.9% YoY to 998 vessels. Container vessel arrivals fell by 3.9% YoY during the quarter.
Meanwhile, analysts noted that a host of uncertainties and disruptions have begun to emerge in the shipping sector with tariffs and constant changes announced by US President Donald Trump. Some analysts point out that volumes at CICT in particular have been affected by the US-China trade war.
