Buoyed by coal, major ports see 5% rise in traffic volumes in Apr-Nov

POL cargo made up by crude oil, refined products, LPG and LNG witnessed a tepid growth of 2.98 per cent

A spurt in coal traffic ramped up cargo volumes at major ports during April-November this fiscal. Thermal or steam coal shipments in the period were up 20.92 per cent. Coking coal, too, recorded a firm growth of 15.44 per cent.

Overall cargo traffic at major ports rose 4.83 per cent in this period. In terms of overall cargo shipments, Kamarajar (Ennore) port was the biggest gainer, logging sharp rise of 20.15 per cent. Rise in coal traffic is likely due to a spike in electricity demand. As supply bottlenecks constrain domestic coal supplies, especially to non-regulated sectors like aluminium and