Cargo volumes at major ports up 27 per cent in Q1

MUMBAI : Cargo handled at India’s dozen state-owned major ports soared 27.16 per cent during the April-June quarter to 180.609 million tonnes (mt) from 142.033 mt a year ago.

The rebound in cargo volumes during the first quarter of the current fiscal was led by solid growths in containers, iron ore and pellets, thermal and steam coal, as well as coking coal, according to the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways.

The 12 major ports handled a combined 2.753 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 57.86 per cent more than the 1.744 million TEUs handled during the first quarter of FY21. Of this, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s busiest state-run container gateway, handled 1.364 million TEUs from 848,000 TEUs during the same period last year.

Chennai Port Trust handled 408,000 TEUs during the April-June quarter from 213,000 TEUs a year ago.

Thermal and steam coal shipments rose 52.36 per cent to 26.996 mt from 17.719 mt, while coking coal and others grew by 15.55 per cent to 12.372 mt from 10.707 mt a year earlier.

Shipments of iron ore, including pellets through the 12 ports, jumped 14.26 per cent to 17.643 mt from 15.441 mt last year.

Deendayal Port Trust, India’s top state-owned port by cargo volumes, handled 33.125 mt during April-June from 25.049 mt a year ago, posting a growth of 32.24 per cent.

Paradip Port Trust handled 30.384 mt of cargo from 25.734 mt, an increase of 18.07 per cent.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust handled 18.557 mt of cargo from 12.097 mt, registering a growth of 53.40 per cent.

Chennai Port Trust handled 11.623 mt from 7.282 mt, notching a growth of 59.61 per cent.

Kamarajar Port Ltd handled 9.632 mt from 5.169 mt, clocking a growth of 86.34 per cent.

Source : The Hindu Businessline