Transhipment surge in May drives Colombo port’s Year-to-Date growth

Colombo Port witnessed a notable turnaround in May 2025, with transhipment volumes hitting 573,366 TEUs—the highest monthly count this year and a robust 12% increase over May 2024. This surge marked the port’s first year-to-date growth, albeit a modest 0.2%, nudging total throughput to 3.26 million TEUs.

Despite this gain, the port’s overall 2025 transhipment figures remain 2.7% behind those of 2024, impacted by prior congestion and delay issues. The situation has improved significantly from the sharper 6.2% YTD decline recorded in April, with May’s performance proving pivotal in narrowing the gap and reversing the trend.

Shipping industry analysts expressed cautious optimism over the rebound seen in May at Colombo Port, even as concerns persist around its overall operational efficiency. In May 2024, transhipment volume was down by 4% to 511,794 TEUs from 2023’s corresponding month. Last year, in the first five months, total transhipment reported a 13% growth over 2023. In May, domestic boxes saw an 8.8% growth to 91,648 TEUs, pushing the YTD figure to 517,563 TEUs, up by a robust 16.4% as against the first five months of 2024.

The number of ships to call Colombo Port in May rose by 6.7% to 398, and up to May by 5.7% to 2,005. In the entirety of 2024, transhipment volume amounted to 6.3 million TEUs, up by 9.7% from 2023, whilst Colombo Port’s total throughput grew by 12% to 7.79 million TEUs.