APATNAM: The Visakhapatnam port has handled 57.5 million tonnes of cargo during 2015-16 financial year, a little less than 58 million tonnes handled during the previous year, according to sources.
The sources said on Friday that the port’s position remained the same, in the fifth slot, as during last year in cargo-handling in comparison with other ports. Kandla stood first as during last year.
Several projects are being undertaken at the port at a cost of Rs 3,000 crores in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, to an extent impeding the cargo-handling, and there was also cargo diversion during the year to neighbouring ports.
There was increase in the container cargo at the port, which crossed 5 million tonnes in comparison with four million tonnes last year. Thermal coal handling went up by six to seven lakh tonnes but there was fall in iron ore exports by 3 million tonnes. There was some spurt in crude imports as well, with the figure crossing 10 million tonnes as against only 8.6 million tonnes the previous year, according to the sources.
