Cargo Traffic handled by Major Ports increases by 13.45 Million Tonnes

Buoyed by the levels and changes of demand both in the domestic and global activity, cargo traffic at India’s twelve major ports witnessed an increase of 13.45 million tonnes during the period of April-December-2015 as compared to last year.

Cargo traffic at India’s 12 major ports stood at 447.05 million tonnes during the period between April-December 2015 as compared with 433.5 million tonnes handled during April-December 2014. During the last three quarters of 2015-16, cargo traffic handled at India’s major ports recorded growth of 4.3% in the first quarter (April-June), 3.8% in the second quarter (July-September) and 1.4% in the third quarter (October- December). Volume of seaborne cargo is essentially in the nature of derived demand and is mainly shaped by the levels and changes in both the global and domestic activity. The growth for the first three quarters of 2015-16 stood at 3.2 %.

During the first nine months of 2015-16, Murmugao port recorded the highest growth in traffic at 35.3% followed by Chidambaranar (19.3 %), HDC (13.8%), KDS (12.5%), Paradip Port (5.2 %), Kandla Port (4.3%), Cochin Port (3.1%), Kamarajar Port (1.5%), Mumbai Port ((0.5%) and JNPT Port at 0.3%.

Three ports witnessed negative growth namely New Mangalore Port (6.7%), Chennai Port (5.9%) and Visakhapatnam Port (3.5%) respectively during the same period.

Amongst the major ports, Kandla Port handled the maximum cargo of 73.87 million tones, followed by Paradip Port (55.13 MT), JNPT (48.23 MT), Mumbai Port (46.39 MT), Vishakhapatnam (42.24 MT), Chennai Port (37.41 MT), Chidambaranar (27.80 MT), NMPT (25.29 MT), HDC (24.90 MT), Kamarajar (22.96 MT), Cochin Port (16.49 MT), Murmugao (13.89 MT) and KDS (12.39 MT) during the first three quarters of 2015-16.

Commodity-wise growth of cargo traffic at major ports

At a broad commodity level recorded during the first three quarters of 2015-16, Coal, Fertilizer/FRM, Other Cargo, POL and Container posted growth of 9.4%, 5.8 % 4.7%, 2.9% and 1.5 % respectively. The traffic in Iron ore showed negative growth of 37.9 % during the same period.