NEW DELHI : The cargo handling capacity of major ports in India has gone up from 1560.61 MTPA in FY21 to 1617.39 MTPA in FY23, the Government data revealed recently. The cargo handling capacity of all major ports stood at 1597.59 MTPA in FY22.

“Infrastructure  development and  capacity augmentation of Major Ports is a continuous process. It involves the construction of new berths and terminals, mechanization of existing berths and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting larger vessels, development of road and rail connectivity etc. As a result, the cargo handling capacity of the Major Ports of the country has gone up to 1617.39 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA ) as of March 2023, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways said.

The cargo handling capacity of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port increased from 90.77 MTPA in FY21 to 92.77 MTPA in FY23. Similarly, the cargo handling capacity of Paradip port jumped from 259 MTPA in FY21 to 289.75 MTPA in FY23.

Visakhapatnam Port’s capacity also jumped from 134.18 MTPA in FY21 to 143.68 MTPA in FY23. Kamarajar Port, Chennai Port, VO Chidambaranar Port also registered slight jump in their cargo handling capacity in FY23.

In August, Sonowal said India is targeting a 300 per cent increase in ports cargo handling capacity by 2047.