Srilanka, Feb. 21 -- The Port of Colombo began 2025 on a shaky start as transshipment container volumes declined amidst persistent congestion, marking a contrast to the robust growth experienced in the first and latter parts of 2024.

The port, a critical transshipment hub in South Asia, faced operational bottlenecks, primarily driven by heightened Sri Lanka Customs inspections.

Transshipment volumes, which typically account for 90 percent of the port's total container throughput, declined by 6.5 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 525,768 TEUs in January 2025. This decline is particularly notable given the strong performance in early and late 2024, when the port benefited significantly from diversions caused by disruptions in the Red Sea. T...