India's Major Ports Record Highest Cargo Ever, Handles 795 Million Metric Tonnes

India's 2022-23 cargo handling has broken records with 795 million tonnes at its major ports, announced Secretary Sudhansh Pant, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

The shipping ministry exceeded its FY23 asset monetisation goal of Rs 3,700 crore with transactions worth around Rs 5,000 crore, according to Pant.

The major ports had a record-breaking year, with 795 million metric tonnes of cargo handled — a 10 per cent increase from the prior year, as per the Press Trust of India report.

India has 12 primary ports, including Deendayal, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Kolkata (with Haldia), and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

Major ports have recorded higher annual growth than non-major ports after many years, according to Pant. State governments lease non-major ports to private partners for administration.

Among major ports, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Deendayal, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and Paradip recorded the highest cargo volumes.

Major ports had a 10.4 per cent growth, while non-major ports had 1.5-2 per cent less, according to the 2022-23 yearly report.

In FY22, major ports had a 54 per cent share in total cargo while non-major ports had 46 per cent, but in FY23 there was a shift where major ports increased to 55 per cent and non-major ports decreased to 45 per cent, according to Pant.

Pant stated that a 1 per cent gain in market share is a major achievement for major ports despite the numerous challenges they face.

Inland waterways handled 126 million tonnes of cargo in 2022-23, a 16 per cent increase from the previous year's 109 million tonnes. Port turnaround time was shortened to 48-49 hours, a reduction of 3-4 hours.

Next week, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, will launch guidelines to make India's ports eco-friendly.