India’s major ports registered a 4.3 per cent rise in cargo handling to 855 million tonnes in 2024-25, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The increase in traffic was driven by higher container throughput (10 per cent), fertilizer cargo handling (13 per cent), POL cargo handling (3 per cent), and handling of miscellaneous commodities (31 per cent), compared to the previous fiscal year, according to the statement.

There are 12 major ports, wholly owned by the Government of India and governed by the provisions of the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021. These are Deendayal Port, Mumbai Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mormugao Port, New Mangalore Port, Cochin Port, VO Chidambaranar Port, Chennai Port, Kamarajar Port, Visakhapatnam Port, Paradip Port and Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.

Commodities handled

Among commodities handled at major ports, Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL)-including crude, petroleum products, and LPG/LNG-led the charts with a volume of 254.5 million tonnes (29.8 per cent), followed by container traffic at 193.5 million tonnes (22.6 per cent), coal at 186.6 million tonnes (21.8 per cent), and other cargo categories such as iron ore, pellets, fertilizers, and more in FY 2024-25.

For the first time in the history of major ports, Paradip Port Authority (PPA) and Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) surpassed the 150 Million Tonne (MT) cargo handling mark, reinforcing their status as key hubs of maritime trade and operational excellence, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) set a record by handling 7.3 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), reflecting a 13.5 per cent year-on-year growth, it added.

In FY24-25, Indian ports collectively allocated 962 acres of land for port-led industrialisation, projected to generate an income of Rs. 7,565 crore in FY24-25, the statement said.

Furthermore, lessees are expected to make an investment of Rs. 68,780 crore on the allotted land, reaffirming investor confidence in port-led development, it added.

The statement said private sector participation has been instrumental in this transformation, with investments in PPP projects at major ports increasing three-fold, from Rs. 1,329 crore in FY22-23 to Rs. 3,986 crore in FY24-25, highlighting strong investor confidence.