Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has set a new single-vessel handling record at the Port of Colombo, completing 10,407 container moves — equivalent to about 15,113 TEUs — when the MSC INGY docked recently, the operator said.
The terminal achieved a gross vessel rate exceeding 200 moves per hour and a gross crane rate of over 30 moves per crane per hour during the call.
“Achieving this milestone reflects our strong operational coordination and ability to handle ULCVs at peak efficiency,” CICT chief executive Jan Zhang said.
The MSC INGY, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company, is one of the larger container ships calling at Colombo. CICT is operated by China Merchants Port Holdings, which has invested in equipment upgrades, yard optimisation and process improvements to expand the terminal’s capacity for ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).
The benchmark adds to a string of recent productivity records at Sri Lanka’s two main container facilities. Hambantota Port logged its own single-vessel record earlier this cycle with the MSC Marie Leslie call, underscoring growing ULCV traffic across both terminals.
CICT said it has accommodated some of the largest vessels calling at the Port of Colombo, supporting its position as a leading transhipment hub in South Asia. Colombo handles transhipment cargo for Indian east-coast ports and the Bay of Bengal, and the terminal’s productivity benchmarks are watched by global container lines deciding hub allocations across the Indian Ocean.
