Slide in iron ore traffic, flat liquid cargo drag major ports in FY19

Overall cargo growth only 2.9% in FY19; Iron ore traffic through major ports tumbles 16%

Major ports had to contend with lacklustre cargo growth of 2.9 per cent in 2018-19. Slump in iron ore and raw fertiliser cargo, and a flattish growth in liquid cargo pulled down the overall volumes.

While iron ore traffic through major ports tumbled 16 per cent as exports slowed in the last fiscal, raw fertilizer cargo declined by 7.21 per cent.

Port of loading (POL) cargo comprising crude oil, refined products, LPG and LNG grew only by a modest 2.52 per cent.

In terms of cargo throughput, coal and containerised cargo proved to be the bright spots. Coking coal shipped