Colombo Port transshipment decline enters 4th month; April dips 5.8%

► GRIM OUTLOOK FORECASTED FOR MAY AND JUNE AMIDST BAD WEATHER

- By NISHEL FERNANDO

The Port of Colombo's transshipment volumes recorded a 5.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) decline in April 2025, reaching 495,456 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), marking the fourth consecutive month of slowdown in this crucial segment.

This decline comes as the port braces for a challenging outlook over the next two months (May and June) due to anticipated operational disruptions from adverse weather conditions and the scheduled closure of the East Container Terminal (ECT) for maintenance from June 5th to June 19th. Bad weather conditions have been, in particular, causing significant berthing delays, with the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), for instance, experiencing delays of 3 to 4 days, according to industry sources.

Adding to these challenges, stakeholders are concerned by the perceived lack of transparent communication from officials regarding measures taken to prevent additional shipping disruptions, causing uncertainty for mainline shipping lines.

The April transshipment figures brought the cumulative volume for the first four months of 2025 to 2.03 million TEUs, a 6.2 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall container throughput at the Port of Colombo for April 2025 saw a marginal decline of 0.5 percent YoY, with 623,719 TEUs handled. For the January to April period, total container throughput stood at 2.56 million TEUs, down 2.9 percent YoY. The share of transshipment in the port's total throughput for April was 79 percent, down from 84 percent in April 2024, and stood at 79 percent for the cumulative period, down from 82 percent.