The Hindu Business Line : Container, rail-bound cargoes show growth at New Mangalore

The New Mangalore port has witnessed a growth in container cargo and rail-bound traffic during the first nine months of the current financial year as against the previous year.

According to Mr S. Gopalakrishna, Traffic Manager of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), the port handled 13,320 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of containers during the first nine months of 2006-07 against 9,646 TEUs during 2005-06. Now, many coffee exporters have started mobilising their cargo through the NMPT.

He attributed this to the rigorous marketing drives taken up by the port at various locations in the hinterland.

The commissioning of Hassan-Mangalore railway line for freight traffic in May 2006 has helped in the growth of rail-bound traffic to the port. So far, 21.45 lakh tonnes of cargo moved through rail as against 15 lakh tonnes during 2005-06. The old railway lines have been strengthened at the railway marshalling yard at Panambur.

A release by the NMPT said here that 27,718 tonnes of limestone, which was discharged from m.v. Atlantic Fortune recently, was moved in eight rakes to Bellary for Jindal Steels. The Hassan-Mangalore railway line has helped in bringing down freight charges for destinations such as Shimoga and Davangere in Karnataka.

In the first nine months of the current fiscal, the port handled 7.60 lakh tonnes of fertiliser and 6.29 lakh tonnes of coal, registering a growth of 61 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, over the previous year. Recently, m.v. Ocean Eagle discharged 71,000 tonnes of coal for projects located at Dharwad district in the State.

For the smooth handling of cargo, NMPT commissioned a new road leading to the berth no. 14 recently, the release said.

CRUISE vessel

The fifth cruise vessel of the current financial year - m.v. Hebridean Spirit - called at the port on January 1. Passengers visited various places in and around Mangalore. The ship sailed out on January 2.

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