Cargo handled by major ports in Apr-Oct almost unchanged at 405 mt: IPA

Ports -Deendayal, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar, V.O. Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata-- saw only 0.44% growth in cargo handled during the period

The cargo handled by country's top 12 major ports in April-October period of the current financial year was almost stagnant at 405.39 million tonnes (MT), according to ports' apex body IPA.

The ports -- Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V.O. Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) -- saw only 0.44 per cent growth in the cargo handled during the period.

These ports had handled 403.60 MT of cargo during the corresponding period of the last fiscal, according to the Indian Ports Association (IPA).

While the handling of iron ore saw a 28 per cent jump during the April-October period, thermal coal shipment declined by 17.69 per cent.

The ports handled 28.82 MT of iron ore during April-October period of the ongoing fiscal as against 22.50 MT in the year-ago period.

Thermal coal imports declined to 51.10 MT at major ports during the period as against 62.08 MT in the same period previous year.

Handling of coking and other coal recorded a 6.88 per cent rise at 33.43 MT during the seven months period as compared with 31.28 MT of coking coal handled in the corresponding period last fiscal.

Finished fertiliser volumes saw a growth of 22.58 per cent during the period.

However, raw fertiliser volumes declined by 4.61 per cent.

Containers recorded a growth of 2.79 per cent in terms of TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units).

According to the figures, Deendayal port handled the highest traffic volume at 71.09 MT during the April-October period, followed by Paradip at 64.46 MT, Visakhapatnam at 41.18, JNPT at 39.84 MT, Kolkata (including Haldia) at 36.47 MT, and Mumbai at 35.63 MT.

Chennai port handled 28.58 MT of cargo, while New Mangalore handled 20.58 MT.

Volume of seaborne cargo is essentially in the nature of derived demand and is mainly shaped by the levels and changes in both global and domestic activity.

The major ports handle about 60 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.