“Cargo traffic at Centre-owned ports recorded
a drop of 0.2 per cent in April-January 2012 to 467.1 million tonnes (MT) over
the ten-month period last fiscal. These ports have suffered huge losses of
business due to curb on ore exports,” said a top Shipping Ministry official.
Losses in monetary terms
are yet to be assessed, he said, adding that “the cargo handling in January
this year has decreased by 5.4 per cent to 48.9 MT as compared to January
2011”.
“The traffic handled by
Mormugao port took a nosedive and recorded the maximum decline of 17.5 per cent
in the ten-month period followed by 8.4 per cent dip by Haldia dock and 7.4 per
cent drop recorded by Chennai port,” the official said.
India has 12 major ports
along its 7,517 km coastline, six each on the West and East coast – Kolkata
including Haldia, Paradip, Vizag, Chennai, Tuticorin, Cochin, New Mangalore,
Murmugao, Mumbai, JNPT, Ennore and Kandla. All this including the non-major
ones handle about 90% by volume and 70% by value of International trade.
Kolkata, Paradip, Mumbai and
Kandla ports saw fall of 3.7%, 1.3%, 1%
and 0.3% respectively. States depend on ports for exports and Iron ore
constitutes bulk of the cargo from
ports.
There was a 25% (52.12mt)
decrease in iron ore exports in first ten months of this fiscal. Iron ore
exports marked a minus on account of Karnataka's ban on raw material exports
and duty hike in budget. Environmental reasons that caused closing of 45 mines
in Goa and Odisha’s informal export bans also added to the above.
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