In the wake of a series of fatal incidents at Colombo Port over the past 14 months, the Ports Ministry said yesterday (16) that most were accidents and that measures are being taken to prevent further deaths by enforcing traffic and safety regulations within the Port.

Deputy Ports Minister Janith Ruwan Kodithuwakku told The Daily Morning that the majority of incidents involved vehicles on Port premises. “Most of these incidents were road accidents. Among the recent cases, there was one involving a container,” he said.

He added that traffic management inside the Port differs from that on public roads due to the operational environment. “If it is a highway, drivers follow road rules. But, inside the Port, it is different. As a solution, we have now involved the Port security and the Police in taking legal measures to ensure that drivers adhere to traffic regulations within the Port."

He also noted that extensive construction work is currently underway within the Port premises, which has added to operational difficulties. “There is a lot of construction taking place within the Port. When those are concluded, most of the processes will be streamlined. Until then, we are taking legal steps to ensure that drivers comply with traffic rules. When the constructions are concluded, there will be a positive situation,” he said.

However, Kodithuwakku added that operations at the Port are being carried out in line with international standards.

At least four worker deaths have been recorded at the said Port in the past 14 months, with the latest incident reported this month (February 2026). On 6 February, 57-year-old signalman Sarath Sandalal, attached to the Ports Authority, fell approximately 38 feet from the 18th bay of the Singapore-registered vessel MV SOL Stride. In another incident earlier this year, a technician at the Mahapola Ports and Maritime Training Institute was run over by a prime mover that had just moved off as he was carrying out repairs underneath it. Last year (2025), a container fell onto a prime mover at the Colombo International Container Terminal, killing the driver. In a separate incident in December, another prime mover driver died in an accident attributed to negligence on the part of the said driver.