Govt-run ports outpace pvt ones in FY25 cargo growth

A fall in coal and iron ore shipments at privately-owned ports across India saw cargo handled at private ports grow at only 2.2 per cent in 2024-25 (FY25), while cargo handled at central government-run ports grew 4.2 per cent, in a reversal of recent trends.

- DHRUVAKSH SAHA

Private ports handled 739 million metric tonnes (mmt) of cargo in the previous financial year, according to data released by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, with major contractions for private ports in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

In March, overseas cargo at non-major ports, owned by private entities or state governments, contracted 3 per cent to 51.4 mmt. In FY24, these ports had achieved an 11.1 per cent growth in traffic.

Shipments of coal, which accounts for 27 per cent, or 201 mmt, of their freight mix, decreased 3 per cent in FY25. According to experts, part of it was on account of decrease in coal imports.