# Hambantota (LKHBA)

**UN/LOCODE:** LKHBA  
**Country:** Sri Lanka  
**Water Body:** Indian Ocean  
**GPS:** 6.1167, 81.1333

China Merchants Port Holdings runs Hambantota International Port (LKHBA) on Sri Lanka's south coast under an 85-percent stake and a 99-year concession signed in 2017, alongside the state-owned Sri Lanka Ports Authority's 15 percent share. The deep-water terminal posted its strongest month yet in June 2026, handling 90,219 vehicles and 80,325 TEU of containers, and in April 2026 the MSC Marie Leslie set a single-vessel record of 13,260 TEU. Full-year 2025 volumes rose 175 percent to 8.24 million tonnes of cargo, with container throughput climbing from 53,169 to 428,036 TEU. A USD 108 million investment in new gantry cranes is intended to push annual container capacity toward 2 million TEU. Hambantota also runs a bunkering operation with roughly 80,000 cubic metres of tank storage for VLSFO, MDO/MGO and LPG, having recently added HSFO to its fuel slate. Positioned about 250 kilometres southeast of Colombo, the port serves as a transshipment outlet that eases pressure on its more congested sister port, a role that has grown since Red Sea disruptions pushed more carriers onto Gulf feeder routes via Colombo. Import and export clearance runs through Sri Lanka Customs on site, and road links via the A2/Southern Expressway connect the port to Colombo and Galle; Colombo remains the main alternative gateway for shippers needing broader liner coverage.

## Transit Times & Routes

- [Colombo → Shanghai](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-shanghai)
- [Colombo → Shenzhen](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-shenzhen)
- [Colombo → Guangzhou](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-guangzhou)
- [Colombo → Hong Kong](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-hong-kong)
- [Colombo → Tokyo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-tokyo)
- [Colombo → Busan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/colombo-busan)

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/hambantota-port-lkhba](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/hambantota-port-lkhba)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/hambantota-port-lkhba](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/hambantota-port-lkhba)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/hambantota-port-lkhba/llm-summary?lang=en*