VO Chidambaranar Port at Tuticorin, in Tamil Nadu, reported a growth of 12.06 per cent in cargo handling in the current fiscal, at around 20.02 million tonne till December 27. The port had handled 17.78 million tonne cargo during the same period previous fiscal, according to A Subbiah, chairman, VOC Port Trust.
The shipping ministry has fixed a target of 26 million tonnes for the financial year 2011-12. Subbiah expressed hope the port would meet the target, considering the growth trend.
Its export traffic picked up considerably due to handling of more volume of dry cargo like MOP, liquid cargo like caustic soda lye, sulphuric acid, foodgrains like maize, general cargo like granite stone, sugar, raw sugar, machinery construction material, and containerised cargo.
Imports of cargo also grew, especially liquid cargo like naphtha, LPG, diesel, liquid ammonia, fertilisers like urea, DAP and other finished fertilisers and fertiliser raw materials like rock phosphate.
There was a noticeable increase in imports of thermal coal, he said. The general cargo traffic also picked up in cashew nut, copper concentrate, machineries, gypsum, iron and steel, limestone, pulses and containerised cargo.
