Paradip and Kandla Ports cross 100 mt milestone in this fiscal, eye record cargo handling

Within a gap of just two days, India’s leading major ports -- Paradip in Odisha and Kandla in Gujarat -- have crossed the 100 million tonnes (mt) mark in cargo handling this financial year. While Paradip port achieved the milestone on December 9, Kandla did it on December 11.

Paradip Port Authority said it achieved the 100 mt mark nine days ahead of the previous year, and Deendayal Port Authority said it achieved the milestone 24 days ahead of last year.

In an official statement earlier this week, the PPA said, “The Port is poised to set all-time record cargo handling of 150 mt in current fiscal. Various system improvement measures, introduced by the port during this year, fuelled growth. Outbound Iron Ore and Pellet has shown 2.23% growth in comparison to the previous fiscal. Coastal Thermal Coal handling constitutes more than 30 per cent of total cargo volume handled at the port and it has shown 3.57 per cent growth. Similarly, containerised cargo volume has grown by 123.09 per cent and Gypsum & flux volume has surged by 26.55 per cent Y-o-Y in the current fiscal. Thus Paradip port is emerging as a coastal shipping hub of the country.”

Kandla, which is looking to regain its position as the top major port in the country, said it is targeting to handle 150 mt of cargo this year. “DPA’s achievement has been bolstered by significant growth across various cargo categories. Key imports, including POL, phosphoric acid, liquid chemicals, fertilisers, and timber logs, as well as exports like edible oils, salt, sugar, and steel coils, have all contributed to this milestone. Notably, a record surge in salt exports by November 2024 highlighted the port’s operational efficiency,” the port stated on Friday.

 “By implementing a series of strategic initiatives, DPA has aimed to provide competitive tariffs and reduce the turnaround time (TRT) of ships and trucks, thereby minimising logistics costs for its stakeholders. Key measures include the rationalisation of Harbour Mobile Crane (HMC) charges for pet coke and thermal coal, rebates for midstream-handled cargo such as coal, coke, and timber logs, and optimised storage policies for imported fertilisers. Additional cost reductions have been introduced for salt cargo through rebates on wharfage and vessel-related charges, as well as revisions to HMC hire charges and berthing policies to accommodate various cargo types, including bitumen vessels at dry cargo jetties,” DPA added.

In 2023-24, Paradip Port had a vessel turnaround time of 41.61 hours, while it was 54.24 hours for Kandla. Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra has the best turnaround time of 26 hours. During the financial year 2023-24, Kandla Port handled 131 mt tonnes of cargo, which is 4.17 per cent less than the port did in the previous year. In contrast, Paradip Port handled over 145 million tonnes of cargo and overtook Kandla Port as the top major port of India.