ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port has welcomed NYK’s Azalea Leader, which made its maiden call to the port in August. 

Azalea Leader is a 200-metre long new generation LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carrier (PCTC). The ship was built in 2026 and sails under  the Liberian flag and is capable of transporting 4,810 vehicles and another 47 units for local discharge. The new gen carrier has a maximum carrying capacity of 7,000 units. 

The ship also has Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) technology on its main engine to reduce Nitrogen Oxide emissions. 

Hambantota’s importance in logistics routes have been on the rise, with significant volume routed through Hambantota to the Middle East, with the Azalea embarking from Singapore.

“The maiden call of Azalea Leader is significant because we are increasingly seeing shipping lines deploy their newest and most sophisticated vessels through Hambantota,”Wilson Qu, CEO, HIPG, said in a press release.

“It demonstrates the pivotal role HIP is developing in the regional RoRo sector and showcases the potential of the port as automotive volumes moving through Hambantota continue to grow.” (Colombo/September06/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s opposition legislator and son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested by the island nation’s anti-graft commission over a 2014 Airbus deal amid allegations of accepting Rs. 100 million bribe.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested Namal Rajapaksa, former sports minister, after a five-hour questioning regarding the allegation in a transaction related to the purchase of an Airbus aircraft for the state-run SriLankan Airlines when his father was the President.

He was later produced to court and remanded until September 18.

Namal Rajapaksa, a day before his arrest, told EconomyNext that the government was trying to arrest him to hide their failure in fulfilling election promises.

“I am not worried about arrest. But eventually they will have to prove it,” he said.

The CIABOC said Rajapaksa was questioned over the allegations and the “arrest was made in connection with the investigation being carried out based on the statement of the relevant Sri Lankan businessman and statements given to the Commission by officers of the Airbus company in France who came to the Commission, as well as documents and other information gathered in this regard.”

A British court found that the French aircraft manufacturer paid US$2 million to a shell company set up in Brunei under the name of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena’s wife.

Chandrasena found dead in May this year under mysterious circumstances when he faced arrest over the same case.

Airbus deal is one of the controversial corrupt deals that took place under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s administration, and extensive investigations have been carried out following the British court’s revelations.

The CIABOC in March said that Chandrasena conspired with his wife and others to set up a shell company in Brunei Darussalam in his wife’s name, opened a bank account in Singapore under that company’s name, and received a sum of EUR 1,454,645.54 as bribe money from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company.

It said Chandrasena transferred the bribe money to his own account at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and to several other individuals, including the then Director General of Sri Lankan Airlines.

Chandrasena and his wife, Priyanka Wijenaike, were first remanded in February 2020 after the British court found that Airbus had paid $2 million to Biz Solutions Inc., a shell company set up in Brunei in 2012.

Investigators revealed the money was transferred to the company’s Singapore account.

Chandrasena served as the CEO of SriLankan from July 2011 to February 2015, during former President Rajapaksa’s second term.

British court documents in 2020 revealed that his wife acted as an agent for the procurement of Airbus aircraft, and Airbus offered a bribe of $16 million.

In March last year, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka Police questioned Namal Rajapaksa over receiving commission from the Airbus deal when his father was in power.

Junior Rajapaksa was questioned for over four hours based on a statement given by a state witness who had been questioned for his reported involvement in the money laundering.

The witness, a well-known former close ally of Rajapaksa and a businessman, had said that he facilitated the transfer of cash from the Airbus deal and handed it over to Namal Rajapaksa.

Namal Rajapaksa has denied the allegations and said the new government is attempting to attribute all unexplained wealth cases against the Rajapaksas.

International and local investigations have clearly pointed towards the involvement of bribes and misappropriations in the 2013 Airbus deal. (Colombo/September 04/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Laura DiBella and FMC Commissioner Robert J Harvey will visit Sri Lanka to advance American trade interests, the US Embassy said.

The visit is “to advance US-Sri Lanka cooperation on maritime trade, investment, and the shipping networks connecting American businesses and consumers to markets across the Indo-Pacific”.

Sri Lanka plays an important role in keeping global trade moving, the embassy said.

“Over 80 percent of the containers moving through Colombo continue on to destinations around the world — a remarkable illustration of Sri Lanka’s role at the heart of Indian Ocean shipping,” US Ambassador Eric Meyer said.

“DiBella’s visit recognizes the importance of that role and provides an opportunity to deepen our cooperation with the people and institutions that keep this vital trade moving across the Indo-Pacific.

“Secure and efficient shipping creates opportunities for American businesses, strengthens Sri Lanka’s position as a regional hub, and supports prosperity in both our economies.”

DiBella and Harvey will meet with government and maritime leaders during the visit from September 6–10.

DiBella will also address the Colombo International Maritime and Logistics Conference and Harvey will serve on a panel.

The Federal Maritime Commission is the independent federal agency responsible for regulating the US international ocean transportation system for the benefit of US exporters, importers, and consumers. (Colombo/Sep4/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka authorities have urged farmers to complete sowing by mid-October to withstand heavy rains and prepare for an El Niño-driven dry spell early next year.

The island nation is targeting approximately 830,000 hectares for paddy cultivation in the upcoming 2026/27 Maha season.

The advisory follows meteorological forecasts indicating above-average rainfall across the island in October and November due to prevailing El Niño conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole.

Rains are expected to drop sharply from January as temperatures climb.

Department of Agriculture Director General G G Wickramasinghe urged farmers to begin land preparation immediately with late September rains and finish sowing between October 15 and October 25.

Sowing early ensures crops are roughly a month old before intense November downpours arrive, preventing flood damage and allowing 3.5-month varieties to be harvested in late January before the dry spell sets in.

She noted that strict water discipline this season is vital to guarantee a successful Yala season in 2027.

To conserve water, the department advised farmers to avoid long-duration paddy varieties and adopt Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation, introduced by the Rice Research and Development Institute in Batalagoda to save roughly three full irrigation turns.

“After establishing the crop, keep the field flooded for about two weeks, and then allow the water to gradually deplete over the next two weeks,” Wickramasinghe said.

Director General of the Department of Meteorology in Sri Lanka is A L K Wijemannage said the World Meteorological Organization has indicated near-100 percent certainty that the El Niño event will persist through February, peaking between October and November.

“Moving into next year — particularly January, February, and March — temperatures will climb further while rainfall drops, leading us into a distinctly dry and warm period,” Wijemannage said.

To protect water reserves and cut imports, the Department of Agriculture is urging water-deficit paddy tracts to transition to Other Field Crops (OFCs) such as maize, green gram, cowpea, and finger millet.

Farmers shifting to OFCs on paddy lands will remain fully eligible for fertilizer subsidies, the officials said. (Colombo/Sep4/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange indices were trading up on Friday morning, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving up 0.37 percent.

The ASPI was up 79.28 points at 21,474.39, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was up 0.47 percent, or 27.95 points, at 6,023.20.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Hatton National Bank (up 0.66 percent at 379.75 rupees), Dialog Axiata (up 0.86 percent at 46.90 rupees), Royal Ceramics Lanka (up 2.51 percent at 49.10 rupees), Ceylon Cold Stores (up 1.85 percent at 124.00 rupees), Sunshine Holdings (up 2.08 percent at 29.40 rupees), and Sampath Bank (up 0.18 percent at 139.00 rupees).

Commercial Development Company (down 2.51 percent at 35.00 rupees) was a top negative contributor.

Market turnover was 248.3 million rupees. Materials led turnover with 108.98 million rupees.

Kotagala Plantations said it had resolved to amalgamate with its 99.999 percent owned subsidiary, Rubber and Allied Products (Colombo), subject to shareholder approval.

Under the proposed amalgamation, minority shareholders holding a combined 9 shares in Rubber and Allied Products will receive a cash consideration of 8.10 rupees per share, while the parent company’s shares will be cancelled.

Kotagala Plantations shares were trading up 1.23 percent at 8.20 rupees. (Colombo/September04/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – The Benelux union could be used as a sandbox for Sri Lankan exporters’ further European integration, including its role in linking to the Port of Rotterdam, Ambassador of the Netherlands Wiebe de Boer has said.

Sri Lanka’s GSP+ access remains in place until 2029, with a two-year window to reapply under a new regime, he noted, and “expressed hope that Sri Lanka could eventually progress from GSP+ to a full Free Trade Agreement with the EU, similar to the EU-India FTA signed this year.”

He raised concerns over bureaucratic hurdles facing entrepreneurs, citing delays in quality-control clearances and restrictive foreign investment caps.

He was speaking as chief guest at annual general meeting of The Sri Lanka-Benelux Business Council (SLBBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Council President Farhath Amith called for continued Benelux support to extend Sri Lanka’s GSP+ status by a further five years, noting key sectors for collaboration, including renewable energy, floriculture, agriculture and agro-processing (including GI-certifiable crops such as cocoa and vanilla), eco-tourism, the coconut industry, and healthcare.

The process of selecting Sri Lankan spices and agricultural commodities for GI Certification has been very slow over the years, he said, causing the country to miss out on expanding export market opportunities to the EU.

“With the Netherlands serving as the gateway for the floriculture industry in the EU, Sri Lanka should be considered as the hub in South Asia for the tropical ornamental plants and cut-foliage trade,” he said.

Amith, Director of Fanam International, was re-elected president for the 2026/2027 term, while Shaameel Mohideen (Spillburg Holdings) and P M Abeysekara (Vinu International Trading Company) were reappointed senior VP and vice president respectively.

The council elected committee members representing Andrew The Travel Company, MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Maliban Healthcare, Propylon One Private Limited, Sri Lanka Technology Development Corporate Society, and Thames International Educational Consultancy, Sajith Wijenayake, (Aitken Spence Travels) will continue to serve on the committee as immediate past president. (Colombo/Sep4/2026)