Port modernisation Sri Lanka should begin with fixing operational inefficiencies before committing to costly expansion, according to Avlino CEO Ramana Jampala. Speaking in Colombo, he argued that smarter operations can unlock hidden capacity and deliver stronger returns than premature capital investment.
Why port modernisation Sri Lanka must start with operational efficiency, not capex
Sri Lanka’s ambition to strengthen its position as a regional maritime hub will depend less on how fast it expands physical capacity and more on how efficiently existing assets are used. This was the central message delivered by Avlino CEO Ramana Jampala at the Terminal Technology and Trade Engagement 2026, held under the Colombo Plan Maritime Advisory Program.
Addressing policymakers, port officials, and industry leaders, Jampala cautioned that expansion without efficiency often produces disappointing outcomes. He noted that congestion, vessel delays, and truck queues are frequently treated as signals for new infrastructure, when in reality they are symptoms of deeper operational issues. In this context, port modernisation Sri Lanka requires a shift in mindset as much as a shift in technology.
Jampala stressed that while growth and expansion are necessary over the long term, they should not be the starting point. When operational processes are inefficient, each additional dollar invested delivers diminishing returns. He urged port authorities to first ask whether they are extracting maximum productivity from current yard layouts, equipment deployment, and operating logic before committing to large-scale capital expenditure.
A key theme of his address was the need to move beyond static, rules-based terminal operations. Traditionally, terminal operating systems rely on predefined rules that planners adjust manually in response to disruptions such as late vessel arrivals or equipment breakdowns. While functional, this approach often results in short-term fixes that undermine overall performance. Jampala described this as local optimisation that creates bottlenecks elsewhere in the system.
Instead, he advocated intent-driven operations, where management defines business objectives and systems dynamically adapt to achieve them. Under this model, leadership sets clear priorities for throughput, utilisation, and turnaround times, and technology continuously adjusts operational decisions to align with those goals. If adopted decisively, he suggested, ports in Sri Lanka could advance several years ahead of their current operational maturity curve.
To demonstrate the practical impact of this approach, Jampala shared Avlino’s experience with the Virginia Port Authority in the United States. At Virginia International Terminal, persistent truck queues were initially blamed on insufficient gate capacity. Internal discussions focused on adding more gate lanes, a project estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars.
However, a deeper operational analysis revealed that the true constraint was yard management rather than gate infrastructure. Containers were being rehandled multiple times due to inefficient stacking strategies, significantly increasing truck turnaround times inside the terminal. The issue was not hardware, but decision-making logic.
By applying machine learning and optimisation techniques, Avlino introduced a system that predicted container dwell times and reorganised yard stacking accordingly. This reduced unnecessary rehandling dramatically and cut truck processing times nearly in half. The result was the elimination of long queues without adding a single new gate lane, effectively releasing capacity that had been locked inside existing operations.
Jampala emphasised that this lesson is highly relevant for ports across South Asia. As terminals face pressure to grow volumes while managing tighter margins, efficiency gains can deliver faster, lower-risk improvements than large construction projects. For Sri Lanka in particular, where aspirations include ranking among the world’s top-performing terminals, understanding where inefficiencies originate is critical.
He pointed to global benchmarks such as container terminal productivity rankings as evidence that performance leadership is achievable without constant physical expansion. Inefficiencies can arise at multiple points, including the yard, waterside operations, or gate processes. Addressing these constraints systematically allows terminals to deliver higher productivity using the same infrastructure.
Beyond immediate efficiency gains, Jampala described a broader transformation underway in terminal operations. Operators must balance three competing objectives: maximising throughput, maintaining profitability, and minimising turnaround times. Overutilising equipment to push volumes can erode margins, while prioritising cost control can slow vessel and truck movements. Managing these trade-offs requires more than manual planning.
Artificial intelligence-driven runtime optimisation offers a way forward. By continuously predicting future yard conditions and adjusting decisions in real time, systems can place containers where they are least likely to require rehandling later. This forward-looking approach reduces operational friction and provides greater certainty in an environment defined by volatility and disruption.
Importantly, Jampala noted that such systems do not demand heavy investment in new hardware or large in-house data science teams. They are designed to complement existing terminal operating systems, enhancing decision quality rather than replacing core platforms. For Sri Lankan ports pursuing port modernisation Sri Lanka, this makes efficiency-led transformation both accessible and scalable.