Paradip Port Trust (PPT) handled 56.55 million tonnes cargo during 2012-13, against 54.55 million tonnes handled in the previous year, registering a growth of 4.24 per cent.
The total cargo handled comprised 17.44 million tonnes of export cargo and 39.11 million tonnes of import cargo, helping the port to occupy 5th position among all the major ports of India.
The highest bulk cargo traffic at the port was 21.39 million tonnes of thermal coal which is 30 per cent higher than the quantity handled during the year ago period. The port also witnessed 66.46 per cent rise in container handling this year, said a release from the port trust.
During the year, the capacity of the port was enhanced from 80 million tonnes to 102 million tonnes following commissioning of the single point mooring for handling 320,000 tonne capacity vessels.
"Capacity is also being augmented by enhancing draught at various berths to 14 metre to handle fully loaded Panamax size vessels," said the port authorities.
