Report indicates decline in market share of major ports

A report by ICRA shows the market share of non-major ports rose to 42 per cent in 2012-13 from 39 per cent in the previous year because of their efficient operation. Thus, in 2012-13, market share of major ports declined to 58 per cent of the total throughput, compared to 61 per cent in the previous year. The report points out that non-major ports have a more diversified cargo mix and higher efficiency standards. This enabled them to post 13 per cent growth in cargo volume during 2012-13.

Major ports continued to face decline in cargo volume during the first quarter of the current fiscal, with a one per cent reduction in volumes over the year-ago period. The report shows that new non-major ports are attracting cargo which was earlier heading to major ports because of capacity constraints in the latter. The major ports registered a three per cent fall in cargo volumes last fiscal.