Cargo traffic stays in stable waters in 12 ports, up 4.65% in FY15

Cargo traffic at India's 12 major ports continued on an upward trajectory for the second fiscal in a row, clocking a 4.65 per cent growth at 581.34 million tonnes (MT) in the just-concluded financial year.

The numbers come on the back of a series of steps taken by the government, including capacity augmentation, to prop up the sector.

These ports had recorded 555.48 MT of cargo movement in 2013-14, marginally up by 1.78 per cent from the previous fiscal.

Kandla port handled the highest, at 92.49 MT, in 2014-15, followed by 71.01 MT cargo by Paradip port and 63.80 MT by Jawaharlal Nehru port, according to Indian Ports Association (IPA).

Mumbai port recorded 61.66 MT traffic while Visakhapatnam Port received 58 MT cargo and Chennai settled for 52.54 MT.

These ports had handled 545.79 MT cargo in 2012-13 and 560.13 MT in 2011-12 while the corresponding figure stood at 596.03 MT in 2010-11.

India has 12 major ports - Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia), which manage approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.

Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari has recently said his ministry is working on an ambitious plan to build one smart city each at the country's 12 major ports, at an estimated investment of Rs 50,000 crore.

As part of its plan to revamp the ports, the Centre has asked them to chalk out land data base and development plans to achieve international operating standards.