Beyond congestion: Urgent need to reform Colombo's port operations

EVERY delay at the Port of Colombo now comes at a heavy price. For Sri Lanka's apparel industry, time is not just money it's trust. The recent reports of ships failing to call at Colombo because of potential delays in the Port of Colombo, are a major concern for exporters who depend on reliability to stay competitive in global markets.

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Over the past few months, several shipping lines have started bypassing Colombo, sometimes just a day or two before arrival. Typically, these are vessels from the Far East containing raw materials required by the industry. When this happens, containers carrying fabric, zippers, buttons, or trims are either unloaded at another port or arrive days later. For manufacturers working on tight schedules, even a small delay can cause missed production deadlines, late deliveries, or the need to airfreight finished goods at much higher cost to meet deadlines agreed with customers

A growing bottleneck

Colombo has long been the heart of Sri Lanka's export logistics. But that reputation is now under strain. While vessels bypassing the port is the visible problem, the real issue lies in how the port operates. Delays in moving containers between terminals, outdated manual systems, and slow coordination between port agencies have all combined to create a serious bottleneck.