Indian ports under Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways saw a 6.94 per cent growth in traffic during FY22 over the previous fiscal.

The five major ports recorded their highest ever traffic during the year. These inlcude Kamarajar Port (up 49.63 per cent), JNPT (17.27 per cent), Deendayal Port (8.11 per cent), Mumbai Port and Cochin Port (9.68 per cent).

The average turnaround time for container vessels has come down to 26.58 hours in FY21, as against 43.44 hours in 2014.

“Last fiscal, the ministry put forth unwavering effort with an aim towards the vision of transformation through transportation. It has helped improve the performance of our major verticals,” Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways said.

Inland waterways performance

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the statutory body in-charge of the waterways in India, transported a total of 105 million tonne of cargo through National Waterways, registering an increase of 25.61 per cent y-o-y basis, a government statement said.

The IWAI has also taken up several infrastructure projects on National Waterways-1, National Waterways 2 and the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route. Steps have also been taken to improve connectivity with the North Eastern region.

During the year, the Pandu Port in Guwahati received a cargo vessel carrying 200 metric tonnes of foodgrain from Patna. The vessel connected Guwahati though Bangladesh traversing 2,350 km through the IBP route. Another vessel MV Ram Prasad Bismil, with two barges - Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam, travelled from Haldia with a consignment of 1,800 steel products through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route to Pandu Port.

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