Hambantota Port handles over 167,000 vehicles in 18 months as imports rebound

Hambantota International Port (HIP), in southern Sri Lanka, said it handled 167,569 vehicles over the 18 months from March 2025 to September 2026, as vehicle imports rebounded. Hiru News also reported that the total exceeded 167,000.

HIP said 86,389 vehicles were handled from March to December 2025: 30,809 new and 55,580 used. In the first nine months of 2026, it delivered 81,180 vehicles, comprising 25,018 new and 56,162 used.

The port operator, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), said it worked with the Vehicle Importers’ Association of Lanka (VIAL) to identify operational bottlenecks and improve vehicle movements. VIAL praised the operator’s responsiveness, according to EconomyNext. HIPG chief executive Wilson Qu said the association helped the port understand importers’ operational difficulties and that cooperation was intended to support efficient handling and supply-chain continuity.

HIPG said it granted demurrage waivers and concessions for vehicles held at the port during import restrictions. More recently, disruptions to vehicle transhipment routes through the Gulf led it to set a storage cap for affected vehicles. The report did not specify further steps or the cap’s terms.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.