• Phase 1 of WCT to add 1.5 m TEUs to port capacity
• ECT operationalisation time frame remains unclear

Sri Lanka’s Adani-John Keells Holding (JKH) West Container Terminal (WCT) at Colombo Port is expected to receive its first vessel in the first quarter of 2025 adding 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to the port capacity, JKH Chairperson Krishan Balendra said.

Speaking on Wednesday (6) at the JKH investor webinar for Q2 of the 2024/25 financial year, he said that phase 1 of the WCT is expected to be operational in Q1 of 2025 which will add 1.5 million TEUs to the eight million TEU capacity at Colombo Port.

He said that the first batch of quay and yard cranes for WCT arrived in September, and the cranes’ commissioning is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024.

JKH quarterly report said that the quay length in phase 1 facilitates the servicing of two large vessels concurrently which will enable a higher throughput once phase 1 is completed.

“The remainder of the terminal is expected to be completed by mid-2026,” the report told shareholders.

Moreover, he said that the timeframe for operationalising the Sri Lanka Port Authority-run East Container Terminal (ECT) is unclear.

He added that even if the ECT becomes operational only part of the terminal will become operational, of which the capacity addition to the Colombo Port would not be material.

The ECT project is expected to add a maximum of 2.4 million TEUs capacity to the Colombo Port once fully operationalised.

“We have to see how quickly the rest of the ECT becomes operational, if it does become operational over the next 18 months, which from what we see does not look likely, then it can have an impact. If it (becomes operational) is spread over a few years it won’t be such a material addition of capacity to the port,” Balendra said.