Cargo handling at Vizag port declines by 8 mn tonne

Cargo handling at Visakhapatnam port has declined by 8.2 million tonnes during the just-ended financial year as compared with last year. In 2012-13, the port handled 59.134 million tonne cargo as against 67.415 million tonnes in the preceding year, posting a decline of over 12 per cent.

Naresh Kumar, secretary, Visakhapatnam port, attributed several reasons to this decline. Decommissioning of a few berths to create mechanical handling facilities, government policy on iron ore exports and use of single buoy mooring berth by Indian Oil Corporation at Paradeep port that resulted in shifting of crude transshipment cargo s were some of the reasons, he said.

The shipping ministry had set a target of 70 million tonnes for Vizag port in 2012-13. The port mainly lost about 7.1 million tonne cargo on two commodities - iron ore and petroleum products. It handled 12.24 million tonne iron ore and 15.08 million tonnes petroleum products as against 16.07 million tonnes and 18.40 million tonnes respectively in the previous year.

Besides, in FY13, it handled 6.8 million tonne coking coal, 2.9 million tonne thermal coal and 31.8 million tonne other cargos.

Visakha Container Terminal Private Limited, which operates a container berth at port, however, registered a marginal growth in handling in the fiscal. It handled 4.6 million tonne container cargo as against 4.22 million tonnes in the previous year.

The shipping ministry has fixed 70 million tonne for Vizag port in 2013-14 too. The port is confident of achieving this as a new general cargo berth with mechanised handling had commenced operations recently, and another is expected to be ready this fiscal, port sources said.