Rise in container exports at Mangaluru port

The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has registered a growth of 6.2% in the container export segment between April and November, compared to the same period last year, at a time when cargo traffic has seen a significant decline due to the pandemic. NMPT traffic data related to containers from April to November indicated that 487,059 mt were loaded this year, as opposed to last year’s 458,469 mt. An NMPT official mentioned that it is one segment that has recovered quickly from the lockdown as it was affected from both fronts, ship to shore handling mainly due to lack of drivers and trailers to provide delivery of import containers. The items loaded from Mangaluru Port include coffee, vegetables, fish, reefer cargo, chemicals, cashew kernels, machinery, fertiliser, granite, seafood and printed books. Additionally, a total of 5,314 twenty-foot equivalent units, as well as 51,685 tonnes of commodities, were loaded to national and international locations in November. 90% of traffic at NMPT is mechanised, the evaluation of cargo was mainly affected due to the absence of manpower during the lockdown as confirmed by Venkata Ramana Akkaraju, Chairman of NMPT. A major share of cargo at the port is crude, LPG, coal and petroleum products. Also, cruise traffic was affected as vessels bound for NMPT were cancelled in the last week of March and April. Image Source