Major ports handle 6.3% more cargo in April

Major ports in India – ports under the Union Government's jurisdiction – handled 49.55 million tonne (mt) of traffic in April, registering 6.27 per cent growth against the same period last fiscal.

The growth was supported to a large extent by higher volumes of petroleum products, coking and thermal coal handled in ports.

The ports carried 4.42 mt of incremental cargo of these three commodity groups.

However, iron ore continued to be the party spoiler – the dip in the handling of just iron ore was 2.5 mt.

This dragged the net addition to the total traffic to 2.92 mt.

This is according to data provided by Indian Ports Association.

The ports under the State Governments handled about 34 per cent of total cargo in India in 2009-10, according to the Shipping Ministry. However, no other official agency compiles monthly data handled by non-major ports.

The break-up

In specific terms, the volumes of commodity groups and the corresponding growth or fall are: 15.5 mt of petroleum products (15.29 per cent growth over last April); 9.88 tonnes of containerised cargo (5.97 per cent growth); 7.22 mt (down by 25.85 per cent); 4.57 mt of thermal coal (28.83 per cent growth); 2.94 mt of coking coal (84 per cent growth); 0.61 mt of raw fertiliser (91.8 per cent growth) and 0.49 mt of finished fertiliser (down 28.39 per cent).

Cargo handled in smaller quantities, which are clubbed in “other cargo” group, also witnessed a 4.64 per cent growth, with the ports handling 8.32 mt of other cargo.

All ports, except Mormugao, registered growth in traffic handled.

Mormugao registered a 16.25 per cent dip in cargo handled primarily because of dip in iron ore.

However, despite the dip, Mormugao handled 4 mt of iron ore, continuing to be the port that handled highest volume of iron ore.

Visakhapatnam handled the second highest volume of iron ore with 1.28 mt.

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