As India expands its global trade footprint and modernises its logistics infrastructure, the country’s major ports have recorded an impressive 4.3 per cent annual growth in cargo handling, increasing from 819 million tonnes (MT) in FY 2023-24 to 855 MT in FY 2024-25.
This growth was driven by higher container throughput (10 per cent), fertiliser cargo handling (13 per cent), petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) cargo handling (3 per cent), and miscellaneous commodities (31 per cent) compared to the previous fiscal. Among commodities handled at major ports, POL—including crude, petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG)—led the charts with a volume of 254.5 MT (29.8 per cent), followed by container traffic at 193.5 MT (22.6 per cent), coal at 186.6 MT (21.8 per cent), and other cargo categories such as iron ore, pellets, and fertilisers.
Thanking all stakeholders, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, stated: “From record-breaking cargo handling to significant improvements in operational parameters and financial performance, the achievements of FY2024-25 reflect the resilience and readiness of our ports to support India’s growing trade ambitions.”
For the first time in the history of major ports, Paradip Port Authority (PPA) and Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) surpassed the 150-million-tonne cargo handling mark, reinforcing their status as key hubs of maritime trade and operational excellence.
Meanwhile, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) set a record by handling 7.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), reflecting a 13.5 per cent YoY growth. Operational performance continued to improve in FY 2024-25, with pre-berthing detention (PBD) time on port account improving by nearly 36 per cent compared to FY 2023-24. Financially, major ports witnessed an 8 per cent increase in total income, rising to Rs.242.03 billion in FY 2024-25 from Rs.224.68 billion in FY 2023-24. Similarly, operating surplus grew 7 per cent to Rs.123.14 billion in FY2024-25 from Rs.115.12 billion in FY2023-24.