Cargo handling at Mundra rises over 20%

The cargo handling at Mundra Port is rising over 20 percent per annum and the port is set to exceed the cargo volume of Kandla Port, reports suggest.

Mundra Port, which first began operations as a captive jetty in the Gulf of Kutch in 1994, handled 59 million tonne per annum (mn tpa) of cargo during Apr-Dec 2012, thus becoming the second largest port by overtaking Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) which clocked 48 mn tpa during the same period.

The port plans to handle over 75 mn tpa cargo before the closing of this financial year. Mundra, which is already the largest private port, is geared to handle about 100 mn tpa of cargo in 2013-14, company sources said.

This addition in cargo will bring Mundra within sniffing distance of Kandla, which is the largest port in the country in terms of cargo volumes.

Between April-December this financial year, Kandla has handled 69 mn tpa of cargo, which is a growth of 14 percent compared to 60 mn tpa the port clocked during the same period, the previous year.

Mundra Port feels that it has different efficiency levels as it is a private port. Experts in the port sector believe that Mundra with 22 operational berths and two Single Point Moorings (SPM) will easily overtake Kandla, which has also targeted to touch 100 mn tpa by 2015.