Colombo Port is grappling with severe congestion following a surge in cargo volumes, prompting some shipping lines to omit the port from their schedules, according to S&P Global. As of Monday, 10 vessels were waiting for berths—down from 15 on Friday—amid challenges like high yard density, increased transshipment cargo, and adverse weather conditions.
Terminal operations have been significantly impacted, with lines such as Zim reportedly skipping Colombo on its NIX loop and halting Indian bookings from the port. Ocean Network Express (ONE) also announced a "Colombo skip" on its CIP intra-Asia service. Despite this, major carriers like Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, and CMA CGM have continued calls, likely due to priority berthing arrangements.
Colombo handled record monthly volumes in August and September, pushing terminal utilization above 80% and leaving the port vulnerable to cargo surges. A port official noted that unlike Indian ports, import cargo often remains at Colombo terminals longer, exacerbating congestion. This situation persists even with the opening of the new CWIT terminal, raising further concerns about inland evacuation capacity.
Source: Hiru News
Terminal operations have been significantly impacted, with lines such as Zim reportedly skipping Colombo on its NIX loop and halting Indian bookings from the port. Ocean Network Express (ONE) also announced a "Colombo skip" on its CIP intra-Asia service. Despite this, major carriers like Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, and CMA CGM have continued calls, likely due to priority berthing arrangements.
Colombo handled record monthly volumes in August and September, pushing terminal utilization above 80% and leaving the port vulnerable to cargo surges. A port official noted that unlike Indian ports, import cargo often remains at Colombo terminals longer, exacerbating congestion. This situation persists even with the opening of the new CWIT terminal, raising further concerns about inland evacuation capacity.
Source: Hiru News