Vizag port iron ore handling up 71%

The iron ore handling at Visakhapatnam port has registered more than 71.4 per cent growth during the first five months of the current fiscal as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

In the current year up to the end of August, the Visakhapatnam port handled around 60 lakh tonnes of iron ore as against 35 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period last year, registering a growth of 71.4 per cent.

"This happened mainly due to a surge in exports to China. China is still importing huge quantities of iron ore from India, and it is paying attractive prices. Several private exporters are using this occasion and exporting iron ore to China," Dattu Raju, traffic manager of Visakhapatnam Port, told Business Standard.

Around 20 trading companies and mining companies like MMTC, NMDC, S K Sarawagi, Runto Mines, Bharat Mines, Bellary Iron Ore, Gemplex and several other companies have been using the Visakhapatnam port for the last one-and-a-half years for iron ore exports.

In the last fiscal, the port handled around 122 lakh tonnes of iron ore, which was more than 25 per cent of the Vizag port's total cargo handling. During the fiscal, the port expects to handle around 130 lakh tonnes of iron ore.

"Iron ore handling charges at Vizag port are high compared to other ports. Even then the iron ore exporters are preferring this port to others because of our performance," Jayanthi, deputy director (research and planning) of Vizag port, said.

"In other major ports, the iron ore average handling rate ranges from 10,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes per day per berth, whereas in Vizag port we are handling 70,000 tonnes per day per berth. The handling rate at times even touched the 1.15 lakh tonnes mark per day," she said.

"We are closely monitoring the iron ore handling on a daily basis. Due to this reason, our mechanised handling facility break-down percentage has come down from 40 per cent two years ago to 5-8 per cent this year," she said.