The Cargo traffic at India’s non-major ports amplified by 4.8 percent in the April-December period of the current fiscal to 447.21 million tonnes (MT), according to a report released by the Shipping Ministry.
The non-major ports in the same period during the last fiscal recorded a cargo traffic of 426.53MT.
According to the report, in April-December 2019-20, the Directorate of Ports at Odisha recorded 64.2 percent growth in traffic, the highest recorded growth in the fiscal as compared to the previous fiscal, which was followed by Ports of Tamil Nadu Maritime Board (34.1 per cent), Directorate of Ports, Puducherry, 27.7 per cent) and Ports Management Board, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (25.4 per cent).
Directorate of Ports, Karnataka, recorded a growth of 25 per cent while Gujarat Maritime Board recorded a growth of 4.1 per cent.
Ports such as Goa, Kerala Maritime Board, Maharashtra Maritime Board and Directorate of Ports, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a negative growth in traffic (2.1 per cent).
However, in cargo handling, the Gujarat Maritime Board handled the maximum cargo of 304.99 MT, with a share of 68.2 per cent followed by Directorate of Ports, Andhra Pradesh (17 per cent), Maharashtra Maritime Board (6.8 per cent) and Directorate of Ports, Odisha (5.7 per cent), said the report.
As per the report, during April-December 2019-20, the cargo shares at the Directorate of Ports, Puducherry, stood at 1.8 per cent, Andaman & Nicobar Islands at 0.3 per cent and Directorate of Ports, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Maritime Board at 0.2 per cent.
Further the report adds, the Gujarat Maritime Board handled the maximum overseas Cargo of 269.99 MT with a share of 71.2 per cent followed by Directorate of Ports, Andhra Pradesh (16.5 per cent) and Directorate of Ports, Odisha (6.0 per cent).
In terms of coastal cargo, the Gujarat Maritime Board handled a total 35 MT of coastal cargo with a share of 51.6 per cent followed by Maharashtra Maritime Board (22 per cent).
Gujarat has a long coastline of about 1,600 km.
