Operations at Sri Lanka’s key maritime hubs are under mounting pressure as shipping lines suspend services to the Gulf region amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, causing thousands of containers bound for Middle Eastern ports to accumulate at the Port of Colombo and the Port of Hambantota. Authorities say that while congestion previously seen at Colombo is gradually easing, the continued off-loading of containers destined for the Gulf is creating new storage challenges.
Port officials reported that about 80 percent of the container yard at Colombo is currently in use as vessels continue to discharge cargo meant for Gulf destinations. By Friday, approximately 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) had already been off-loaded, and the figure is expected to rise further as more ships make scheduled calls at the port. The situation has forced port authorities to take temporary measures to expand storage capacity while assisting global shipping lines affected by the disruption.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayaka told local media that Colombo is currently handling large volumes of containers originally bound for the Middle East but transshipped through Sri Lanka. He acknowledged that the ports are facing a space constraint but said authorities are working to manage the situation by storing containers across both Colombo and Hambantota facilities. Temporary yard space is also being created at Colombo to accommodate the additional cargo being discharged.
Shipping lines halted operations to the Gulf region after the outbreak of war in West Asia on Sunday, immediately disrupting cargo movement to major regional hubs including Jebel Ali Port, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Strait of Hormuz, ports in Yemen, and Jeddah Islamic Port. Nalaka Ratnayaka, Vice President of both the Exporters Association and the Sri Lanka Shippers Council, said shipping lines have stopped accepting cargo bound for these destinations until further notice.
Containers already delivered to Colombo and awaiting shipment will remain stranded at the port even if vessels continue to call there, as carriers have made it clear that such cargo will not be loaded for the time being. Ratnayaka added that ships already sailing toward the Gulf are expected to dock at intermediate terminals or remain anchored at safe ports along their routes until the security situation becomes clearer.
Safety concerns for seafarers have also prompted shipping companies to instruct vessels to remain in secure harbors. Some carriers that had only recently resumed passage through the Red Sea are now reportedly diverting their routes around the Cape of Good Hope, repeating detours previously used when attacks on commercial ships by Houthi rebels heightened risks in the region.
The instability has already translated into higher operating costs for global shipping, with carriers introducing war risk surcharges ranging from US$1,000 to US$3,000 per container. Despite the disruptions affecting Middle Eastern routes, shipping lines continue to operate normally on services to the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Meanwhile, cruise tourism operations at Colombo have remained largely unaffected. Cruise liners continue to call at the port according to schedule, with ships arriving on Thursday and Friday and additional arrivals expected on March 9, 11, and 24. Of the five cruise vessels scheduled to visit next month, however, one has cancelled its call, while the rest are expected to arrive from European ports.
