Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed reported continued progress in reducing the container backlog associated with Colombo port.
At a special cabinet press briefing yesterday, he noted a significant decrease in uncleared containers, from 4,241 to 1,741.
Minister Saeed added that vessels carrying approximately 1,200 containers are currently at Malé Commercial Port, with an additional 2,500 containers scheduled to arrive.
He also provided a breakdown of container arrivals scheduled for this week:
- 12 April 500 containers will
- 13 April: 500 containers
- 14 April: 1,000 containers
The minister further noted that an additional 500 TEUs are expected to arrive at the port this week.
Previously, some container vessels reportedly returned to Colombo without unloading. Clearance times at Malé Commercial Port have increased from the usual two to three days to as long as 18 days, significantly straining import operations.
