We ship containers, vehicles and breakbulk cargo from the United Kingdom to Hambantota, Sri Lanka, with weekly departures from Tilbury, London Gateway, Southampton and Felixstowe and an average sea transit of 26 days.
Pricing guide
Shipping Rates to Hambantota
Port to port · transit approx. 26 days
| 20ft FCL (up to 28 cbm / 21 t)Port to port, all-in ocean freight | from £1,992 |
| 40ft FCL (up to 58 cbm)Standard dry box | from £2,888 |
| 40ft High Cube (67 cbm)Extra 30 cm internal height | from £3,147 |
| LCL groupage (per cbm)Minimum 2 cbm chargeable | from £219 per cbm |
| Flat rack / open topOut-of-gauge project cargo | from £3,785 |
| UK loading at our depotLabour, dunnage and lashing | £220 – £420 |
| Haulage to UK portLive load or drop trailer | from £320 |
| Export customs & documentationIncludes bill of lading release | £65 per shipment |
| Destination clearance (guide)Local duties and taxes payable by consignee | quoted on request |
Indicative rates only, excluding VAT where applicable. Final pricing depends on dimensions, weight, sailing schedule and destination charges.
Hambantota is one of 2 discharge points we use for Sri Lanka cargo, alongside Colombo. Which one is right for your shipment depends less on the map than on the sailing schedule: a box that leaves the UK five days earlier on a direct string usually beats a nominally closer port served only by transhipment.
Into Hambantota we can load 20ft and 40ft full container loads, weekly LCL groupage from two cubic metres, roll-on roll-off vehicles where the service calls, and flat rack or breakbulk for out-of-gauge machinery. Cars, vans, motorhomes, trucks, tractors and plant are all regular traffic on this lane, as are household removals and palletised trade goods.
Terminal handling, import duty and any local taxes at Hambantota are payable by the consignee unless you instruct us to arrange a delivered service. We provide the full documentation pack so the entry can be lodged the day the arrival notice lands.
Free time at Hambantota is limited and storage accrues daily once it expires, so we send the vessel ETA as soon as it is confirmed and recommend appointing your destination broker before departure. On the UK side we collect from any postcode, load and brace at our own East Tilbury facility, lodge the export entry and issue the bill of lading in-house.
Typical routing is UK collection, loading and sealing in Essex, haulage to the berth, 26 days at sea, discharge at Hambantota, customs clearance and onward delivery. Ask for a written quotation and we will set out every line, including the charges your consignee should expect locally.
Shipping cargo to Hambantota
Quote & booking
Rates, sailing or flight options confirmed in writing.
UK collection
Nationwide collection or delivery into our Tilbury depot.
Loading & packing
Lashing, crating, palletising and photographic record.
Customs & export
Export entry, NES clearance and documentation released.
Transit & delivery
Tracking updates until the cargo lands with your consignee.