Container Exports at NMPT rises between April-Nov (YoY)

MANGALURU: While the pandemic impacted ports resulting in a decrease in cargo traffic, New Mangaluru Port Trust (NMPT) bucked the trend, registering a 6.2% growth in the container export segment between April and November, compared to the same period last year.

Provisional NMPT traffic data related to containers from April 1 to November 30 shows 4,87,059 metric tonnes was loaded this year as against 4,58,469 metric tonnes during the same period last year.

“This is one segment which recovered quickly from the lockdown,” an NMPT official said. “It was deeply impacted on both counts — ship to shore handling due to non-availability of trailers/drivers and delivery of import containers.”

Items that are loaded from Mangaluru port include coffee, reefer cargo, vegetables, fish meal, chemicals, polypropylene, flexible carry bags, cashew kernels, machinery, garments, granite/marble and fertilizer besides seafood, leaf springs, printed books among others. A total 5,314 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and 51,685 tonnes of commodities were loaded from the port to national and international destinations in November alone.

Mr. Venkata Ramana Akkaraju, Chairman, NMPT, said although 90% of traffic at NMPT is mechanized, evacuation of cargo was affected during the lockdown due to lack of manpower.

The major share of cargo handled at the port is crude, petroleum products, LPG, coal and iron ore. Cruise traffic was deeply affected since vessels bound for NMPT in the last week of March and April, were cancelled.