The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) handled 32,661 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of containers till January-end of 2010-11. With this, the port has crossed the container handling figures of the fiscal 2009-10.
During the entire 2009-10, the port handled 31,456 TEUs of containers.
Mr S. Gopalakrishna, Traffic Manager of the port, said that with this achievement, the port is expected to handle a total of 40,000 TEUs of containers by the end of March this year.
Cargoes such as coffee, wax candle, and fish meal have contributed a major share for the growth during the current fiscal.
TEUS and tonnage
The port exported 4,476 TEUs of containers with 94,636 tonnes of coffee as against 2,413 TEUs with 51,712 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, recording a growth of 85.5 per cent in terms of TEUs handled and 83 per cent in terms of tonnage.
Wax candles
The export of wax candles from the port recorded a growth of 40.9 per cent. The port handled 1,023 TEUs of wax candles till January-end as against 726 TEUs in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. The port handled 2,180 TEUs of fish meal (747 TEUs) cargo, recording a growth of 191.83 per cent.
In a press release here, Mr P. Tamilvanan, Chairman of the NMPT, attributed this growth to the proactive business development drive carried out by the port in its hinterland, and to the infrastructure addition at the port.
It may be mentioned here that the port had conducted trade meets at various places, including Shimoga and Hubli, in the recent past.