Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port cargo volumes rise amid global shipping shifts

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:09 pm ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port (HIP) has recorded its highest-ever monthly throughput for both roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) and container operations in June 2026, driven by regional shipping disruptions and capacity expansions. T…

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:09 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port (HIP) has recorded its highest-ever monthly throughput for both roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) and container operations in June 2026, driven by regional shipping disruptions and capacity expansions. The port handled 90,219 vehicles and 80,325 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) during the month, Hambantota International Port Group said. “June’s performance demonstrates the importance of anticipating change and being ready when customers need alternatives,” Wilson Qu, Chief Executive, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) said. Officials attributed the volume surge to early operational planning triggered by rising security uncertainties around the Strait of Hormuz in West Asia. Shipping lines seeking alternative networks shifted cargo to the southern Sri Lankan port, which sits 10 nautical miles off the main East-West sea lane. The June milestone follows expansion at the facility. In 2025, HIP’s total cargo throughput rose 175 percent year-on-year to 8.24 million metric tonnes. Container volumes grew to 428,036 TEUs in 2025, up from 53,169 TEUs in 2024. To accommodate the shifting trade flows, the port recently doubled its RoRo yard capacity and expanded its container yard space by 30 percent. HIPG has also committed 108 million USD for new container handling equipment, aiming to lift its annual container terminal capacity to 2 million TEUs. The port’s container segment has seen consecutive volume spikes this year. In April 2026, HIP recorded its highest single-vessel container throughput, handling 13,260 TEUs on the MSC Marie Leslie. Operated as a public-private partnership, HIP manages diversified marine operations including RoRo, containers, bulk cargo, energy, and ancillary marine services. (Colombo/July09/2026)

Sports Minister Sunil Gamage, Tony Prasanna (Coach), Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Iranga Cooray (Director, Access Solar), Mangala Perera (COO, Access Real Estate); and Theo Fernando (Managing Director of Access Solar & Access Real Estate)

Thursday July 9, 2026 1:30 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Access Solar and Access Real Estate/Residencies have made javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga their corporate brand ambassador in a sponsorship which will provide financial and logistical backing in the run-up to the 2028 Olympic Games. The partnership will also cover financial and logistical backing for his coach, the companies said. “This corporate alliance aims to elevate Sri Lankan sports on the global stage while underscoring the vital connection between corporate backing and athletic excellence.” Tharanga is the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach the finals of the World Athletics Championships. “My final target is the 2028 Olympic Games. Before that, I will focus on the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games,” Tharanga said. Property developer Access Real Estate and renewable energy firm Access Solar are subsidiaries of the Access Group of Companies.

Thursday July 9, 2026 12:45 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will begin paddy procurement for the 2026 Yala season from July 15, with the Treasury allocating 6 billion rupees and another 10 billion rupees through state banks as Odapana loans, the president’s media has said. President’s Secretary Dr Nandika Kumanayake has asked officials to clear existing paddy stocks in warehouses, in coordination with Sathosa, to receive the new harvest. The Paddy Marketing Board currently holds approximately 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy in its warehouses, according to the PMD statement. “Of this, tenders have been called to release around 60,000 metric tonnes to the market, while steps have already been taken to supply a further 20,000 metric tonnes to Sathosa.” Around 475,000 hectares of paddy land had been cultivated during this Yala season, a meeting chaired by Kumanayake and attended by the Agriculture Ministry Secretary D P Wickramasinghe was told. Wickramasinghe claimed that farmers are waiting for the Paddy Marketing Board to begin purchasing paddy before selling their harvest. The meeting also discussed obtaining additional storage facilities from government institutions, including cooperative societies and the Department of Agrarian Development, as well as leasing warehouses from the private sector. (Colombo/Jul9/2026)

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:27 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange was trending down midday Thursday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving down 0.49 percent. The ASPI was down 107.58 points at 21,720.92, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was up 0.38 percent, or 23.19 points, at 6,076.33. Positive contributors to the ASPI were Dialog Axiata (up 0.91 percent at 44.40 rupees), Seylan Bank (up 1.00 percent at 101.00 rupees), and Malwatte Valley Plantations (up 4.36 percent at 57.40 rupees). Melstacorp (down 0.80 percent at 186.25 rupees), Greg (down 6.57 percent at 37.00 rupees), Richard Pieris and Company (down 0.32 percent at 30.90 rupees), and Hatton National Bank (down 0.25 percent at 395.00 rupees) were top negative contributors. Market turnover was 503.2 million rupees. Food, Beverage & Tobacco led turnover with 137.6 million rupees. HNB Finance listed 381,667,019 new ordinary voting shares from its rights issue, and 80,072,222 non-voting shares. (Colombo/July09/2026)

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:03 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s government has decided to reopen the Bogambara Prison, one of the oldest prisons built in the colonial era and slated for a tourist project, for incarcerations following the deadly Negombo prison riot, according to a gazette published on July 8. Sri Lanka’s overcrowded prison situation has been exacerbated by a government flagship project seeking to crackdown on drugs, which has led to more arrests but fewer trials due to delays within the justice system, and a backlog in receiving forensic reports due to a shortage in government analysts. The Negombo prison riot death toll stands at 28, including 8 prison officers. The prison system is currently operating around 300% over-capacity, holding around 41,000 inmates against a designed capacity of roughly 10,500-11,000, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. “Recently, due to the nationwide drug eradication operations being implemented and arrests being made while enforcing the law, this number has escalated further to 41,000 as of today.” The Old Bogambara Prison, which was the second largest maximum security prison in Sri Lanka, was shut down in 2014 and converted to a cultural park in 2018. Plans to transform the jail into a multi-use building with some cells and rooms turned into shops, some into shared workspaces and some turned into hotel accommodation, failed due a lack of investors. The premises were refurbished at the Urban Development Authority’s expense with the intention of making it an attractive tourist destination. (Colombo/July09/2026)

Thursday July 9, 2026 9:55 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee was quoted at 336.65/75 to the US dollar in the spot market on Thursday, weaker from 336.00/30 the previous day, while bond yields were quoted higher, dealers said. The telegraphic transfer rate for Sri Lanka’s rupee against the US dollar was 331.50 buying, 340.50 selling; the euro was 376.2676 selling, 390.1846 buying; and the pound was 443.1308 buying, 457.1764 selling. A bond maturing on 01.03.2030 was quoted at 11.20/30 percent. A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 was quoted at 11.38/45 percent, up from 11.30/35 percent. A bond maturing on 15.10.2030 was quoted at 11.45/50 percent, up from 11.36/40 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 was quoted at 11.70/75 percent, up from 11.60/70 percent. A bond maturing on 01.11.2033 was quoted at 11.75/85 percent, up from 11.70/80 percent. (Colombo/Jul9/2026)

Wednesday July 8, 2026 6:30 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s proposed US$540 million deal with Clothespin Management and Development to build a hotel within the Colombo Port City, has expired unsigned in January 2026, the Director General of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) told EconomyNext. The CPCEC in a Gazette in July last year gave a 25-year tax holiday to Clothespin Management and Development (Private) Limited, which plans to build a ‘twin tower marvel’ that will have a clock tower bigger than the Big Ben. The plan was to build a property that will house the “world’s largest art gallery in the “Hotel Use Land Plot 2-01-11 spanning over an area of 24,324 square metres in Colombo Port City”, the government said in a gazette notice last year. “The investor advised us he’s not going ahead with that development,” Revan Wickramasuriya, Director General, CPCEC told EconomyNext. “But he’s discussing new developments,” he said referring to Clothespin Management and Development’s latest talks with the CPCEC. The developer was unable to finalize the contract due to outstanding bond complication due to Sri Lanka’s economic situation, a Clothespin Management and Development source privy to the project said. New discussions have been ongoing with the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) on a new lease, the source said. Should a new lease agreement be finalised and signed, it will not be the same plot that will be assigned for the project, both the CPCEC Director General and the source said. The source also said the clock tower was removed from the original plan because it was not lucrative. As per the Gazette for the project published in July 14, 2025, the project needed to be signed within a six month period. However, it was not signed as agreed before January 14, 2026. The company previously pledged 540 million dollars, of which 75 million dollars was allocated for the land lease, and 465 million for construction. Correction: Previous version mentions board complications, the rectified version is a bond complication due to Sri Lanka’s economic situation. (Colombo/July08/2026)