The cargo handling at New Mangalore Port Trust registered a marginal increase in the first three months of the current fiscal.
The port handled 8.61 million tonnes of cargo in the first quarter against 8.53 mt in the corresponding period a year ago, a growth of 0.93 per cent.
Sources in NMPT attributed this marginal growth to the decrease in the cargo handling by one of the main users of the port.
MRPL
The cargo handling of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, which is a main user, came down by 12.05 per cent in crude and 15.94 per cent in products shipment during the first quarter.
The port handled three mt of crude in the first quarter against 3.41 mt.
MRPL’s product despatch from the port stood at 1.43 mt (1.70 mt) during the period.
It may be mentioned here that MRPL was forced to shutdown its units in April following the scarcity of water to run its refinery operations.
The two-week shutdown had affected the production at MRPL.
fertiliser
The fertiliser handling at the port registered a growth of 119 per cent during the quarter.
The port handled 1.69 lakh tonnes of fertiliser (77,155 tonnes) during the period.
There was also increase in the handling of coal cargo at the port. Sources said the handling of coal for Udupi Power Corporation Ltd registered a growth of 20 per cent.
coal
The port handled 6.71 lakh tonnes (5.55 lakh tonnes) of coal cargo for Udupi Power during the period. Added to this, various other private industries in the hinterland imported 9.91 lakh tonnes (6.95 lakh tonnes) of coal during the period.