The Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd handled 45 million tonnes (MT) of cargo in 2017-18 or 25% more than what was achieved in the previous fiscal.
Director and CEO Anil Yendluri attributed the growth, which came despite the industry slowdown, to favourable government policies and handling of “new cargo such as sand, steel and agri-commodities”.
Also, cargo from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, north and east Karnataka, besides eastern parts of Maharashtra, that earlier were going to other ports had come to Krishnapatnam, with the users seeking route optimisation, multi-modal connectivity and competitive pricing, he added.
Coal, iron ore and granite dominated the cargo portfolio handled at the private port in Andhra Pradesh, with aspirations to become the eastern gateway of the country.
The company registered an 88% increase in the number of containers it handled at 4,81,408 TEUs as against 2,55,439 TEUs during 2016-17. The total bulk cargo handled by the port stood at 37 MT, he told press persons here on Friday.
On the targets for 2018-19, he said KPCL plans to handle 55 MT and seven lakh containers (TEU).
Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal director Vinita Venkatesh said growth of transshipment volumes at the facility was a factor behind the growth in container handling. Indian flag operators like Shreyas Shipping provided transshipment feeder services from KPCT to Kolkata, Haldia, Vizag and Paradip.
The port has also launched door-to-door cargo logistics under the ‘Ocean2Door’ service. The service would soon offer online cargo bookings too, she said.
On the port expansion programme, Mr. Yendluri said of the $3 billion total investment proposed, $1.23 billion has been invested. The second phase expansion was under way and on its completion would take the cargo handling capacity from 80 MT to 100 MT.
