Indian major ports handle 68.06 mt of traffic in May 2023

During May 2023, Indian major ports handled 68.06 million tonnes (mt) of traffic compared to 65.88 mt in May 2022, registering a growth of 3.3 per cent. The increase in cargo traffic was majorly led by the coal traffic as the ports handled 5.5 mt of coking coal in May 2023, a growth of 35.5 per cent compared to the year ago period. Meanwhile, thermal and steam coal registered a 14 per cent year-on-year (yoy) growth in traffic to reach 11.9 mt. Further, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) predicts that coal traffic yoy growth at major ports will decline in June 2023. Overall, the coal traffic makes up for about 25 per cent of total cargo traffic at major Indian ports.