President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal (ECT) will remain state-owned but be opened to private investors and international shipping lines for management.
Speaking at the Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit 2026, he said the terminal handles about 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), well below what its two berths can take.
He said the second phase of the West Container Terminal depends on a breakwater estimated to cost about $1.4 billion. The Asian Development Bank is conducting feasibility studies, with an interim report due in December and a full assessment in April. Initial funding will be allocated in the upcoming national budget.
The government also plans to settle earlier legal disputes over logistics land, set up off-port container yards in Kerawalapitiya and revise bunkering tax policy, the President said.
Port capacity and costs affect the price and availability of imported goods in Sri Lanka. The interim feasibility report is due in December.
