NEW DELHI: The capacity of India’s 12 Major Ports exceeded 1 billion tonnes (BT) mark with a record 100.59 million tonne addition during the just-concluded fiscal, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
“We have achieved a milestone on the back of initiatives to improve efficiency of our Major Ports. We added a record 100.59 million tonnes of capacity to our 12 Major Ports last fiscal,” the Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister said recently.
The capacity reached 1,065 MTPA in 2016-17 as against 965.36 MTPA in the previous fiscal, he said, adding that this was made possible as the Major Ports have been benchmarked to international standards.
“As many as 116 initiatives were identified of which 70 have been implemented and the remaining will be implemented by 2019. This has resulted in unlocking 80 MTPA capacity,” Gadkari said.
Boosted by a slew of steps to enhance efficiency, the Country’s 12 Major Ports also surpassed private players by handling a record 647.43 MT of cargo last fiscal, registering a growth rate of 6.79 per cent as against 4.32 per cent in 2015-16.
Source: Dailyshippingtimes.com
