Cargo handling at India’s major ports continues to grow, with traffic increasing 11per cent in the first half of this fiscal year to 384 million tonnes (mt) from 346 mt in the same period last year. The increasing cargo handling has been aided by the increased handling of POL and coal, as well as the easing of the global supply chain. Except for Mormugao, all other major ports saw positive growth in the first six months of this fiscal year, according to Indian Ports Association data.
With a 16.40per cet growth in traffic, Kamarajar port led the way, followed by Visakhapatnam (15.39per cent) and Paradip (15.39per cent). According to the report, the drop in Mormugao traffic was caused by a substantial decrease in iron ore handling, including pellets, to 8 lakh tonnes, down from 2.2 million tonnes in the same period last year. The solid volume growth at major ports is mostly driven by a resurgence in demand for POL and coal, which had been muted in the previous two years for a variety of reasons, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
