The Visakhapatnam Port handled about 52 lakh tonnes of additional cargo, registering a growth of 14 per cent, during the first nine months of the current fiscal, as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal. |
The port handled 414 lakh tonnes of cargo from April to December 2005, as against 362 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period in 2004. |
|
Increase in the imports of steam coal and petroleum coke and export of iron ore were the main reasons for the growth, K S D Dattu Raju, traffic manager, Vizag port, told Business Standard. |
|
During the current fiscal, till December-end, the port exported 122 lakh tonnes of iron ore, as against the 114 lakh tonnes during the first nine months of last fiscal. |
|
In 2004-05, the port handled 104.6 lakh tonnes of petroleum products during the first nine months, whereas it handled 115.5 lakh tonnes of petroleum products during the corresponding period in 2005-06 fiscal, posting an increase of 11 lakh tonnes. |
|
Raju said that several parties had started importing steam coal to meet the requirements of thermal power projects. Owing to this, steam coal imports from the port increased to 15 lakh tonnes during the first nine months of this fiscal, as against 3 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period of previous year. |
|
Petroleum coke imports also increased by about 3 lakh tonnes during this period, as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal. Apart from this, coking coal imports increased by 6.4 lakh tonnes. |
|
Vizag port created a national record by handling 55 lakh tonnes of cargo in December, the highest-ever cargo handled by any major port in the country in a month, Raju said. |
|
"If the trend continues, we may touch the 550 lakh tonne-mark by the end of March, as against 501 lakh tonnes in 2004-05. We have maintained the prime position in cargo handling among all the ports in the country for the sixth consecutive year," he added. |
|
|
|