Hambantota International Port (HIP) has surpassed one million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in cumulative container throughput, marking a significant milestone in the expansion of its container operations.

According to HIP, the port handled 428,036 TEUs in 2025 and a further 574,196 TEUs in 2026 year-to-date, taking cumulative throughput to 1,002,232 TEUs since the commissioning of new quay cranes in 2025.

HIPG CEO Wilson Qu said the milestone reflected growing customer confidence and the port’s efforts to strengthen its container-handling capabilities.

“Crossing one million TEUs is an important achievement for HIP and a strong indication of the confidence our customers are placing in the port,” Qu said.

MSC, HIP’s principal container-sector customer, has contributed significantly to the growth. In April, the MSC Marie Leslie set a new single-vessel handling record at HIP with 7,968 container moves, equivalent to 13,260 TEUs.

The port also recorded its highest monthly container throughput in June, handling 80,325 TEUs.

HIP is now investing in additional equipment, berth utilisation, container-yard capacity and reefer facilities as part of a wider US$108 million expansion programme.

The investment includes six new quay cranes and 16 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, expected to be commissioned by the end of February 2027.

The expansion will support the utilisation of an additional 1,300 metres of berth space, taking HIP’s total container quay length to nearly two kilometres. The container yard will also be expanded by 30%.

HIP Chief Operations Officer Tommy Yang said the investments were aimed at developing capacity ahead of demand and supporting the port’s long-term target of handling two million TEUs annually.