Hambantota has been developed as a multipurpose port, with container transhipment operations added in 2024. At the end of 2024, HIP received four STS cranes and 13 RTGs, which entered service in early 2025 and helped drive a sharp container growth. Throughput rose from 53,170 TEU in 2024 to 428,036 TEU in 2025, with a further 574,196 TEU handled in 2026 to date, taking cumulative throughput above 1m TEU.
“Our container growth has been built through close engagement with shipping lines, operational reliability and the ability to respond quickly to changing customer requirements,“ said HIPG CEO Wilson Qu.
MSC is HIP’s main container customer and has driven much of the recent growth. In April, MSC Marie Leslie set a new single-vessel handling record at HIP, with 7,968 container moves (13,260 TEU), surpassing records set by MSC Ilenia and MSC Ruby in March. HIP also recorded its highest monthly container throughput in June, handling 80,325 TEU.
The port is now preparing for another major expansion. HIP has committed US$108m to six additional STS cranes, 16 eRTGs and 40 trailers, ordered from ZPMC. The equipment is due in early 2027. The new cranes will support the terminal’s Phase II expansion, which will add four dedicated container berths, taking the total to seven deep-water berths. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, the expansion will also increase container-yard capacity by 30%.
The expansion is intended to support HIP’s longer-term target of handling 2m TEU annually, as the port seeks a larger role in regional transhipment alongside Colombo.
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