Colombo Port Climbs Six Places to 20th in Latest Global Container Port Rankings

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Port of Colombo has recorded one of the most significant gains among the world's busiest container ports, climbing six places in the latest global rankings and further cementing Sri Lanka's position as a key maritime hub in the Indian Ocean.

According to the latest first-half 2026 global container throughput rankings released by Alphaliner, the Port of Colombo moved up from 26th place to 20th place among the world's busiest container ports, making it one of the strongest-performing ports globally during the period.

The Port of Colombo said it handled 4.44 million TEUs in the first half of 2026 — an impressive 11.9% year-on-year increase

It added that Colombo handled 4,444,034 TEUs during the first six months of 2026, compared with 3,972,053 TEUs in the corresponding period of 2025, an increase of 471,981 TEUs. Colombo’s latest performance follows a record year in 2025, when the port handled approximately 8.3 million TEUs.

The rise comes at a time of major changes in global shipping patterns, with geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions and shifting trade flows reshaping the maritime industry. Alphaliner noted that ports across the world have experienced varying fortunes amid the ongoing impact of conflict in the Middle East and adjustments by global shipping lines responding to evolving market conditions.

Against that backdrop, Colombo's improvement in the rankings stands out as a significant achievement.

The Alphaliner report showed that while Chinese ports continued to dominate the global rankings, occupying six of the world's top ten positions, Colombo was among a select group of ports that recorded notable upward movement during the first half of 2026.

The Port of Shanghai retained its position as the world's busiest container port, handling 28.7 million TEUs during the first six months of the year, followed by Ningbo-Zhoushan and Singapore. Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou and Tianjin also remained among the world's leading ports, underscoring China's continued dominance of global container traffic.

However, global trade patterns were also affected by disruptions elsewhere.

According to Alphaliner, the continuing conflict in the Middle East and uncertainty surrounding international trade policies significantly impacted container flows. Some major regional ports recorded steep declines in throughput, most notably Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, which fell from 10th place globally at the end of 2025 to 32nd place by mid-2026, while Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port also experienced a sharp contraction in volumes.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority is also pursuing further investment in container handling and logistics infrastructure, with potential investments of up to US$2 billion over the next one to three years, including expansion projects and public-private partnerships.