: India’s major ports saw a 2.4 per cent growth in traffic for the first two months of this fiscal (April and May) to 134 million tonne (mt), driven primarily by an increase in finished fertiliser shipments, apart from an increase in thermal and coking coal imports.
All ports, barring Deendayal (Kandla) which was down by 7 per cent and Kolkata – down 4 per cent, saw an increase in traffic for the period. In the year ago period, traffic handled across major ports were 131 mt for the months of April and May. This is the second straight month of traffic drop for Kandla and Kolkata ports.
On a sequential basis, traffic increased 3.5 per cent in May, over April. Traffic for the month of May was 68.23 mt; while in April it was 65.87 mt.
Among the ports, Paradeep saw the highest traffic at 12.12 mt, up 8 per cent y-o-y; followed by Deendayal or Kandla at 10.9 mt, down three per cent y-o-y.
India’s major ports include Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port (formerly Kolkata Port Trust) that includes the Kolkata and Haldia dock systems together; Paradip; Vishakhapatnam; Kamarajar (or Ennore port); Chennai; VO Chidambaranar, Cochin, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Deendayal.
Fertilizer, Coal, Iron-ore Shipments
According to the data available from the Indian Ports Association, finished fertilizer shipments increased over 80 per cent y-o-y to 1.6 mt for April and May. Fertilizer shipments in same period last fiscal was 0.9 mt.
On the other hand, coking coal imports increased 23 per cent to 10.1 mt, up from 8.21 mt in the year-ago-period. Thermal and steam coal imports increased 20 per cent y-o-y to 23.85 mt, from 19.39 mt in the same period last year.
Iron ore shipments — including exports — saw a 2 per cent-odd drop in the April–May period; while petroleum, crude and allied products (POL) saw a 2.49 per cent drop for the period under review. Raw fertilizer shipments dropped by 2 per cent-odd.
As per data available, there are 108 vessels at the berths waiting for sailing; while there are 59 vessels at the anchorage waiting for a berth as on June 14. Paradip had the highest vessels waiting at the berths at 21 while it had 17 ones at the anchorage. Deendayal port (Kandla) had no waiting vessels because of Cyclone Biporjoy.