Cargo handled by 12 major ports grew 4.34% in FY25: IPA

The 12 major ports owned by the Union government handled a combined 854.858 million tonnes (mt) of cargo in FY25, 4.34 per cent more than the 819.294 mt of cargo in FY24 on the back of strong growth in containers, finished fertiliser and other miscellaneous cargo.The dozen major ports handled a combined 13.541 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in FY25, from 12.310 million TEU’s in FY24, clocking a growth of 10 per cent. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority handled 7.302 million TEU’s or more than half of the total container volumes shipped through major ports.Other miscellaneous cargo handled by the 12 ports rose 30.59 per cent in FY25 to 117.732 mt from 90.156 mt a year earlier, according to data from the Indian Ports Association.

Finished fertiliser cargo shipments jumped 20.53 per cent to 9.967 mt in FY25 from 8.269 mt a year ago. Raw fertiliser loadings rose 6.86 per cent to 10.050 mt in FY25 from 9.405 mt in FY24. Iron ore including pellets and coking coal suffered steep declines during the year.In FY25, iron ore including pellet cargo handled by the 12 ports posted a decline of 18.25 per cent to 49.904 mt from 61.046 mt a year ago. Coking coal and other coal cargo slid 9.18 per cent to 58.978 mt from 64.938 mt in FY24. Thermal and steam coal shipments remained flat at 127.655 mt in FY25, compared to 127.043 mt the previous year. Petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) cargo rose 3.46 per cent to 254.505 mt from 245.996 mt in FY24.Other liquid cargo registered a growth of 5.41 per cent in FY25 to 32.543 mt from 30.872 mt a year earlier. Deendayal Port Authority was the only port to show a double-digit growth among the 12 ports, handling 150.157 mt from 132.374 mt, an increase of 13.43 per cent. Paradip Port Authority retained the pole position in cargo handled among major ports with 150.408 mt in FY25 from 145.379 mt a year ago.