Acting on a tip off, the custom officials seized 359 pieces of ivory of Kenyan origin at the port of Colombo yesterday.
The seizure was based on international regulations covering convention on endangered species, Customs officials said.
Authorities in the UAE and Kenya have been informed about the seizure.
An estimation of the value was not possible as there was no local price available for tusks for comparison, they said.
The ship carrying the containers was heading to Colombo from Mumbasa for transshipment.