Port traffic was up 3.3 per cent in May, against 9.73 per cent during April and 1.1 per cent in May a year ago. Haldia recorded 15 per cent decline, out of 8 ports suffering annual decline. Freight loading was up 105 per cent at Mormugao, over 153 per cent in April. Paradip recorded 19 per cent rise in loading and Visakhapatnam 13 per cent. By the way, loading at Mormugao had increased 41 per cent during FY16 and 51 per cent during FY15. Kamarajar and Chennai recorded 10 and 8 per cent decline respectively in volume.
During April-May, port traffic increased 6.34 per cent, against 5.5 per cent in these months a year ago and 4.8 per cent two years back. While six ports recorded annual decline in freight volume, Mormugao came out with 126 per cent growth due to several fold rise in iron ore and thermal steam coal handling. In freight, iron ore shot up 523 per cent and raw fertilizer 22 per cent. POL was the major commodity group accounting for a third of the commodities freight handled at the major ports.
Kandla led ports in terms of traffic handled during April-May. With 131 million tones capacity, Kandla is the largest port in the country accounting for 13 per cent of the 965 million tonnes total capacity in major ports in the country as of 31 March 2016. Paradip (13 per cent) and Visakhapatnam (11 per cent are the second largest and the third largest ports in the country. Minor ports account for around half the capacity in major ports in the country.
