Cargo handled at India’s dozen State-owned major ports rose 12.47 per cent during the April-November period to 466.415 million tonnes (mt) from 414.695 mt a year ago.
In containers, the 12 major ports handled a combined 7.324 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 26.89 per cent more than the 5.772 million TEUs handled during April-November of FY21.
Of this, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India’s busiest State-run container gateway, handled 3.652 million TEUs from 2.762 million TEUs during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Chennai Port Authority handled 1.065 million TEU’s between April and November this year from 8,08,000 TEUs in the same period last year.
Kamarajar Port handled 3,07,000 TEUs from 94,000 TEUs last year.
VO Chidambaranar Port Authority handled 5,26,000 TEUs from 4,70,000 TEUs a year ago, while Cochin Port Authority handled 4,87,000 TEUs from 4,12,000 TEUs during the same period last year.
Growth in shipments
Thermal and steam coal shipments through the dozen ports rose 32.93 per cent to 64.122 mt during the eight months of FY22 from 48.237 mt a year earlier, according to the ministry.
Coking coal and other coal cargo grew by 6.05 per cent to 33.515 mt from 31.603 mt a year earlier.
POL cargo (crude, petroleum products, LPG and LNG) rose 10.38 per cent between April and November to 142.188 mt from 128.822 mt last year.
Shipments of iron ore including pellets declined 23.88 per cent to 33.865 mt from 44.489 mt a year earlier.
Finished fertiliser shipments plunged 38.91 per cent to 4.477 mt from 7.328 mt a year ago. Raw fertliser, on the other hand, clocked a growth of 15.29 per cent to 5.656 mt from 4.906 mt a year ago.
Deendayal Port Authority, India’s biggest State-owned port by volumes, handled 85.195 mt of cargo between April and November from 73.860 mt last year, posting a growth of 15.35 per cent.
Paradip Port Authority grew by 2.28 per cent to 73.893 mt from 72.244 mt during the same period last year.
Cargo volumes at JNPT grew by 27.85 per cent during the eight months to 49.049 mt from 38.364 mt last year.