Hambantota Port eyes growth spike as shipping lines shift back to primary East–West route

Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) is gearing up to capture a larger slice of the global maritime traffic pie as container shipping begins to resume its traditional east-west route through the Suez Canal. According to projections from maritime consultancy firm Linerlytica, a full-scale return of container vessels to the Suez route should pick up speed in the first quarter of 2027.

While the pace is determined by security conditions and carrier choices, the shift in the main shipping corridor brings significant East-west traffic back near southern Sri Lanka. HIPG representatives emphasize that while recent Red Sea shipping disruptions initially spurred Hambantota's rapid move into container transhipment, the eventual return to the Suez route offers a much greater strategic advantage.

"When vessels utilize the established East-west route through Suez, they come much closer to Hambantota," explained Bindu Ranasinghe, HIPG's General Manager for Commercial and Marketing. Located just 10 nautical miles off the primary East-west shipping lane, Hambantota's strategic positioning becomes even more valuable when ships follow the Suez route instead of making a costly detour around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

To prepare for the anticipated surge in mainline vessel traffic, HIPG has earmarked US$149 million for new container-handling equipment, with the goal of raising its annual handling capacity to 2 million TEUs by early 2027.