Project record

Colombo West International Terminal

Colombo West International Terminal quay cranes, automated yard and electric terminal vehicles during Phase 1 operations

Colombo West International Terminal; exact automated terminal in operation

Colombo West International Terminal has moved into staged operation without completing the whole development. The Adani Ports, John Keells and Sri Lanka Ports Authority venture opened Phase 1 in April 2025 with eight quay cranes, 18 automated CRMGs and 62 electric terminal vehicles. John Keells says the 1,400-metre quay was complete by March 2026, while the operator reports one million TEU in the first operating year and a new Phase 2 crane sequence in July 2026.

Project signal

Construction in Sri Lanka

Current status Phase 1 has operated since April 2025 and handled one million TEU in its first year; the 1,400-metre quay was complete by March 2026 while Phase 2 crane deployment and full-terminal construction continue Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Sri Lanka / Asia Pacific

Segment

Deep-water ports and automated container terminals

Status

Phase 1 has operated since April 2025 and handled one million TEU in its first year; the 1,400-metre quay was complete by March 2026 while Phase 2 crane deployment and full-terminal construction continue / Confirmed

Last checked

1 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Deep-water ports and automated container terminals is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Colombo West International Terminal (Private) Limited, owned by Adani Ports and SEZ (51%), John Keells Holdings (34%) and Sri Lanka Ports Authority (15%) under a 35-year BOT agreement
Delivery parties
ZPMC - eight Phase 1 quay cranes, 18 automated rail-mounted gantry cranes and the automated terminal-management system, Howe Engineering Projects (India) - detailed project report; no reviewed primary source establishes it as the terminal EPC contractor, Colombo West International Terminal - operator and phased-development company, The reviewed owner, authority and investor records do not disclose the complete quay-wall, piling, reclamation, paving, utilities or buildings contractor chain
Contract route
Sri Lanka approved the 35-year BOT structure in 2021. CWIT was incorporated as terminal operator, the BOT agreement was executed on 30 September 2021 and became effective in February 2022. Construction formally commenced in November 2022. The sponsors fund and deliver the phased terminal; public records identify ZPMC's equipment and automation scope but not a single fully allocated civil EPC chain.
Execution window
Construction began in 2022. Commercial operations commenced in April 2025 with the first phase. The terminal handled more than 350,000 TEU by September 2025 and one million TEU in its first full operating year. The full 1,400-metre quay was complete by 31 March 2026. Two STS and seven CRMG cranes arrived in July 2026 for Phase 2, with four more STS and five more CRMG cranes expected by the end of September 2026.
Works package
Develop a USD 800 million automated deep-water terminal with a 1,400-metre quay, 20-metre water depth, 65-hectare terminal area and approximately 3.2 million TEU annual capacity. Phase 1 provides up to 1.6 million TEU when scaled, eight quay cranes, 18 automated CRMGs and 62 electric terminal vehicles. Full build-out is designed to berth three ultra-large container vessels concurrently.
Marine interfaces
Quay release, berth depth, crane rails, high-voltage power, yard blocks, electric horizontal transport, automated stacking, gate systems and terminal software must be accepted in coordinated stages. Phase 1 vessel service proves a working operating slice; the completed 1,400-metre quay and arriving Phase 2 equipment do not by themselves prove every yard block or automation interface is fully commissioned.
Commercial evidence boundary
The project combines a transparent sponsor and equipment chain with an incomplete public civil-contractor ledger. Handled volume, crane arrivals, yard and gate automation, simultaneous-berth use and full-system acceptance determine whether the 3.2 million TEU configuration is operational. The USD 800 million figure is a project estimate, not a published final account.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

Phase 2 crane deployment began

Two electric STS cranes and seven CRMGs arrived, with nine more cranes expected by the end of September, expanding the live terminal without proving full Phase 2 acceptance.

Source

The complete 1,400-metre quay was constructed

John Keells reported the full quay complete while equipment installation and the remaining terminal build continued toward the full configuration.

Source

Phase 1 exceeded 350,000 TEU

Adani's half-year update showed recurring traffic and more than 100,000 TEU in both August and September while Phase 2 construction remained active.

Source

CWIT Phase 1 commenced operations

The first automated operating phase entered commercial service while equipment installation, yard automation and construction for the full terminal continued.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Phase 2 STS and CRMG delivery, commissioning and acceptance
  • Full 1,400-metre quay use by three ultra-large vessels
  • Yard-block and gate-automation completion
  • Quay-crane and CRMG productivity and availability
  • Electric terminal-vehicle reliability and charging capacity
  • Final civil contractor and downstream package disclosure
  • Full-terminal completion versus Phase 1 operating status
  • Final project account and lender drawdown

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 1 August 2026 across 7 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 1 August 2026 Cited sources 7

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 7