<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The <b>Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA)</b> has
released its definitive operational scorecard for the first four months of
2026, revealing a robust expansion in container volumes. Driven by a major
realignment of global trade routes, the deep-water Indian Ocean hub is
preparing a multi-million-dollar infrastructure expansion to lock in its
long-term competitive advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Record Handling Volumes &
Transshipment Dominance<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
Scorecard</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Cumulative container throughput at
the Port of Colombo from January to April 2026 reached <b>2.91 million
TEUs</b>, marking a sharp <b>13.9% increase</b> compared to the 2.56
million TEUs handled over the same period in 2025.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
April Spike</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Single-month operational data for
April 2026 reached <b>761,096 TEUs</b>, translating to a massive <b>22%
year-on-year surge</b> over April 2025 volumes.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Transshipment
Lifeline</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Reflecting its geographic position
along the primary East-West maritime shipping lane, the SLPA confirmed
that <b>transshipment cargo continues to account for over 80%</b> of
Colombo's total container operations.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Strategic Countermove: Launching WCT Phase
II<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Capacity
Scaling</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: To stay ahead of aggressive
regional port developments on the Indian mainland, the SLPA announced it
will formally invite <b>Expressions of Interest (EOI) before the end of
2026</b> for the second phase development of the <b>West Container
Terminal (WCT)</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
Target</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The Phase II expansion is
engineered to inject <b>over 3 million TEUs</b> of brand-new annual
handling capacity into the port network.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Productivity
Gains</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">: The infrastructure roadmap follows a newly
formalized operational partnership between the SLPA and <b>A.P.
Moller–Maersk</b> aimed at introducing automated cargo handling systems,
cutting vessel turnaround times, and buffering the hub against potential
gridlocks.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>