Mangalore port handles 32.04 MT of cargo

Mangalore, Apr 5 (UNI) The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), one of the major ports on the Western seaboard, has handled a total of 32.04 million tonnes (MT) of cargo, including 14.12 million tonnes of export during 2006-07.

The port had berthed a record number of 1,015 vessels in the just concluded fiscal. It had also handled a record number of 18 cruise vessels as against just three during the previous year, NMPT Chairman P Tamilvannan said today.

Emerging as a major port for container traffic, NMPT, the International Ship and Port facility Security code (ISPS) compliant port, had registered 79.25 per cent growth over the previous year in container traffic. It had handled a record number of 17,290 TEUs with a quantity of 2.65 lakh tonnes cargo.

Briefing the highlights of cargo handling in the port at a press conference at Panambur, near here, he said the railway rake traffic had also shown remarkable improvement by handling 30.18 lakh tonnes as against 15.23 lakh tonnes handled during 2005-06.

The NMPT had become the first Indian port to implement computerised biometric fingerprint time attendance system from December 1, he said.

Mr Tamilvannan said the port had handled a record quantity of 10.46 lakh tonnes of coal during 2006-07, an all time record surpassing the earlier record of 5.13 lakh tonnes handled during the previous year, achieving 104 per cent growth. The port had also set a record by manually handling cargo of 87.49 lakh tonnes, erasing the earlier record of 77.47 lakh tonnes set in 2005-06.

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