Cargo volumes at major ports near pre-covid level

Private ports, too, boost contribution

With cargo volumes i nching towards pre- Covid levels, the country’s major ports are witnessing green shoots amid the ongoing pandemic. In September, 12 major ports across the country handled 53.5 million tonne (mt) cargo, up 4 per cent from August and closer to 57.2 mt handled in February.

“Industries are coming back to normalcy. Within the bulk category, fertilisers and limestone have picked up in September, helping cargo volumes at ports,” said B Vimal, senior deputy traffic manager, Chennai Port.

The port gets 60 per cent of its cargo volumes from container and the balance 40 per cent from bulk category cargo.

“In the container segment, we have started new services since July. Cargo can be brought to Chennai Port via coastal movement and this cargo is then transshipped overseas. This new service is helping the port have more volumes now,” said Vimal.

Chennai Port recorded the sharpest cargo growth in September of 4 mt, up 18 per cent from the preceding month. This was followed by

Paradip, up 15 per cent month-on-month and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), up 11 per cent to 5.3 mt.

During the AprilSeptember period, major ports clocked 298.6 mt of cargo volumes, down 14.3 per cent from the same period last year.

While the Kamarajar Port continued to be the worst performer with 22 per cent drop in cargo growth on a month-on-month (MOM) basis in September, the Mormugao port and Mumbai port did not witness any change in volumes in the period under review. “Kamarajar will continue to remain a weak performer until perhaps December as Tamil Nadu has shifted to wind energy for the past f ew months, reducing the import of coal. There will not be much change in the situation in cargo volumes until the season changes,” said A Karuppiah, traffic manager at Kamarajar Port.

Among the cargo categories, container volumes in September grew 6 per cent on a MOM basis; coking coal volumes grew 21 per cent and that of iron ore by 2 per cent.

Private port players also contributed handsomely to cargo volumes i n September. APM Terminal Pipavav port, in the month gone by, reported cargo volumes of 0.9 mt, up 18.2 per cent from August.

Adani Ports witnessed a 7 per cent growth i n cargo volumes i n t he September quarter to 56 mt, from preceding quarter (42 mt). The company had reported a sharp 27 per cent fall in the June quarter from Q4FY20.

Rajiv Agarwal, chief executive officer and managing director, Essar Ports, said: “Our terminals have clocked revenue for cargo handling of 23.8 mt for the past six months with growth 12.5 per cent in Q2FY21, compared to Q1FY21,” Essar Ports operates Hazira Port Terminal and Salaya Bulk Terminal on the west coast of India and Paradip Dry Bulk Terminal and Vizag Terminal on the east coast.