Surge in transhipment in May puts Colombo Port YTD positive
- CNL Reporter
- July 28, 2025
- News
- Colombo Port
- 0 Comments
A surge in transhipment boxes in May saw Colombo Port experiencing its first year-to-date (YTD) growth, though marginal.May saw a transhipment volume of 573,366
Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), the highest monthly figure for the year and up 12% from May last year. Due to better performance in 2024 and issues of congestion and delays, the 2025 YTD figure of transhipment TEUs is still lower by 2.7% as against 2024. Up to April, the YTD dip was higher at 6.2%.
The uptick in transhipment in May helped Colombo Port edge towards a YTD positive in May 2025, though it was just 0.2% to 3.26 million TEUs. By the end of April, the YTD figure was down by 2.9%.
Shipping industry analysts welcomed the May rebound, though concerns remain over the overall efficiency levels at Colombo Port.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
