Hambantota International Port (HIP) has handled a combined 1,002,232 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers since new quay cranes entered service in 2025, port officials announced on Monday, 5 October.
The port handled 428,036 TEUs in 2025 and 574,196 TEUs so far in 2026.
HIPG Chief Executive Officer Wilson Qu said the figure reflected customers’ confidence in the port. He said HIP was now investing across the container-handling chain, including equipment, berths, yard space, refrigerated-container capacity and facilities for larger vessels.
Records set this year
MSC, described as the port’s principal container customer, has contributed significantly to the growth. In April, the MSC Marie Leslie recorded 7,968 container moves, equal to 13,260 TEUs, in a single call, a new record for the port. HIP’s highest monthly throughput, 80,325 TEUs, followed in June.
Expansion plans
The expansion forms part of a US$108 million investment in container-handling machinery and supporting assets. It includes six new quay cranes and 16 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which are due to be commissioned by the end of February 2027.
Once in service, the equipment is expected to improve vessel turnaround and allow the use of a further 1,300 metres of berth space, bringing total quay length to nearly two kilometres. The container yard will be enlarged by 30%.
HIP Chief Operations Officer Tommy Yang said investment was being matched carefully to demand and to the port’s financial sustainability. The port’s long-term target is an annual capacity of two million TEUs.
For Sri Lanka, rising volumes at Hambantota add to the country’s capacity for handling regional and international container trade outside Colombo.
