Cochin Port Takes the Lead in Cargo Traffic Growth

Cochin Port Indias Cochin Port recorded the highest cargo traffic growth during the period from April to August 2017, when compared to other major ports in the country. Namely, the port was the top one of seven major Indian ports which registered positive growth in traffic over the period, as its volumes surged by 19.99% compared to April-August volumes in 2016, according to data provided by Indias Ministry of Shipping. The ports growth was mainly driven by a rise in traffic of petroleum oil and lubricants (POL), which jumped by 27.99%, and containers which recorded an increase of 12.79%. Cochin Port was followed by the port of New Mangalore, which handled 13.26% more volumes, while Paradip Port saw a rise of 12.57% in its volumes. Indias ports of Kolkata and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) handled 11.45% and 6.18% more over the period, respectively. The country’s 12 major ports together handled 273.96 million tonnes of cargo between April to August, 2017 as against 265.31 million tonnes handled during the corresponding period of previous year, representing an overall growth of 3.26%. Technological advancement for modernization of major ports and reforms for enhancing ease of doing business are driving and sustaining the growth trend line at India’s major ports, the Ministry said. The Ministry added that it has been proactively undertaking legislative reforms to weed out old obsolete laws and enhance connectivity of ports to improve their efficiency under the Sagarmala Programme.