Ship chandlers & ship supply at Colombo LKCMB

The Port of Colombo, run by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), is primarily a container port linking Europe, East and South Asia, the Persian Gulf and East Africa. It handled a record 8,291,178 TEU in 2025, up from 7,792,069 TEU in 2024, per SLPA.^[1,3]

—Two harbours: the original 184-hectare harbour and the South Harbour (285 ha, developed from 2008), entered by a two-way channel with an initial depth of 20 m and a width of 570 m.^[1]

—It is also the main transhipment hub for most cargo bound for Malé, so Maldives feeders are part of the traffic.^[11]

—Weather: the south-west monsoon, May to September, brings rough seas off the port.^[11]

—Jaya Container Terminal (JCT, SLPA): 1,292 m of quay with 4 main container berths, 12–15 m alongside, 14 quay cranes.^[2]

—East Container Terminal (ECT, SLPA): Stage I has 450 m of quay at 18 m for ships up to 18,000 TEU; the full terminal is being built out to 1,320 m of quay, 75 ha of yard, 12 ship-to-shore and 40 rail-mounted gantry cranes.^[2,4]

—South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT): 940 m over 3 berths, 15 m at each berth.^[2]

—Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), the first South Harbour terminal: 4 berths at 18 m, 2.4 million TEU design capacity, 12 quay cranes of 70 m outreach, working 24/7 with the largest ships.^[2,1]

—Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT): opened 7 April 2025 with 1,400 m of quay at 20 m and about 3.2 million TEU a year, built by Adani Ports & SEZ, John Keells Holdings and SLPA under a 35-year build-operate-transfer agreement — Colombo’s first fully automated deep-water terminal.^[9]

—Unity Container Terminal (SLPA) is the port’s only multipurpose terminal: 2 container berths and 1 multipurpose berth.^[11]

—A licensed shipping agent: shipping agents in Sri Lanka are licensed by the Merchant Shipping Secretariat under the Licensing of Shipping Agents Act No. 10 of 1972.^[10]

—Pilotage and mooring are SLPA services under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act; SLPA pilots act as servants of the master or owner, who stays answerable for the ship where pilotage is compulsory.^[5]

—Bunkers: Ceylon Petroleum Corporation began supplying bunkers from a new pipeline at the South Jetty on 22 August 2025; until then all Colombo bunkering ran through the Dolphin Jetty, shared with the country’s oil imports. In 2022 SLPA reported its subsidiary JCT Ltd running bunker storage for eight licensees, stocking low-sulphur fuel oil and marine gas oil.^[7,6]

—Lanka IOC, a bunker supplier at Sri Lankan ports, lists VLSFO, LSMGO and IFO 380 at Colombo by barge or truck, inside port limits, at anchorage or at the outer port limits (OPL).^[8]

—Provisions, stores, spares and crew moves for the call: post a requirement and chandlers and agents serving Colombo answer with sealed bids — suppliers never see the vessel’s name until award. If you supply ships in Colombo, be the first supplier in.