ports

MSC Shifts South Asia Hub Operations to Hambantota Port

Mediterranean Shipping Company is redirecting its transhipment hub activities in South Asia away from Colombo toward Hambantota Port, marking a significant operational restructuring on the Asia-South Africa trade lane.

The carrier has replaced a regular Colombo call with Hambantota on its Far East-South Africa Ingwe service, which now rotates through Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Singapore, Port Louis, Ngqura, Durban, Port Louis, Hambantota, Hong Kong and Tianjin. MSC added a 12th vessel to the rotation to bolster capacity and service reliability on the corridor.

Hambantota, operated by China Merchants Port Holdings, launched container operations in April 2024. The facility invested $108 million in harbor crane upgrades this year and targets 2 million teu annual capacity—almost double its previous capacity. Located just 10 nautical miles from the main east-west shipping route, the port offers an efficient option for major container operators.