: The Visakhapatnam PortTrust (VPT) has set an all-time high of handling over 72.72 million metric tonnes of cargo during the fiscal 2019-20, VPTchairman K Rama Mohana Rao said on Thursday.In a statement here, he saidthe port handled 72.72 million metric tonnes of cargo as against 65.30 million metric tonnes handled during 2018-19.Also, the port achieved anincremental growth of 11. 5 per cent, that is, 7.42 million metric tonnes.With this growth, Visakhapatnam Port has scaled up to third positionamong the major ports after Kandla and Paradip Ports, surpassing JNPT and Mumbai Ports.This is the best-ever cargo handled in the 86-year history of Visakhapatnam Port since 1933.It surpassed comfortably the nine-year-old record of 68 million tonnes, handled by the port in 2010-11, when the privateports like Gangavaram and Krishnapatnam were not active at that time.The achievement by VPT despite heavy competition withprivate ports, the general economic slowdown in the financial year and massive impact on EXIM Trade due to outbreak of COVID-19 is significant, Rao said.
