According to the Indian Ports Association (IPA), coal shipments handled by the country’s 12 Major Ports saw a jump of 10.81 per cent to 161.34 million tonnes (MT) in the previous financial year. These ports, under the control of the Centre, had handled 145.59 MT of coal cargo in 2017-18.
Shipments of thermal or steam coal and coking coal rose 9 per cent and 14.25 per cent, respectively, during 2018-19.
The IPA said that the Major Ports handled 103.84 MT of thermal or steam coal during the financial year, compared with 95.26 MT in the previous fiscal.
Also, they handled shipments of 57.50 MT of coking coal during 2018-19 as against 50.33 MT in the previous fiscal.
India is the third-largest producer of coal after China and the US, reports said.