New Delhi, Jan 28 : India's 12 major ports, owned by the Central government, handled 72.2 million tonnes of cargo in December, recording a 3.22 per cent growth over the same month of the previous year.

According to data compiled by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Deendayal Port in Gujarat's Kandla accounted for the highest volume of 13.03 million tonnes.

Odhisha's Paradip Port was in the second position with the handling of 12.84 million tonnes (MT) of cargo during the month while the Jawaharlal Nehru port was ranked third with 8.32 MT followed by Vizag (6.51 MMT) and SMP Kolkata (5.44 MMT).

It showed that the top five major ports handled 63.94 per cent of total cargo.

While overseas shipments accounted for 55.78 MT (77.31 per cent) of the cargo handled at the major ports during December, coastal shipments were at 16.37 MT comprising 22.69 per cent of the total.

Container volumes handled at the major ports, which represent finished goods and constitute around 25 per cent of total trade, increased by a robust 17 per cent to 17.4 MT in December. The growth has shot up despite an overall shortage of containers in the global market which saw exports and importers grappling to secure supply chains.

Coal volumes across sectors handled at major ports declined during the month as imports fell due to higher domestic production. Volumes of thermal coal, which account for 12 per cent of total cargo volumes for major ports, fell marginally to 8.7 MT while coking coal cargo dropped by 4 per cent to 2.9 MT. Coal (other than thermal/coking) nearly halved to 2.5 MT t last month.

Deendayal Port has regained its position as the highest cargo-handling major port, with a 12 per cent increase in overseas cargo to 98 MT during the current financial year. The port's performance had slipped in 2023-24.

Kolkata Port, on the other hand, has recorded a nearly 12 per cent decline in cargo this financial year to 44 MT. The port's overseas cargo has fallen by close to 13 per cent.

Visakhapatnam Port has recorded a 2 per cent decline in overseas cargo, but the coastal cargo handled at the port has shot up, the data showed.

/IANS