New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Paradip Port Authority has clocked a record 145.38 million metric tonnes (MMT) cargo throughput in FY 2023-24 to nudge past Deendayal Port, Kandla and emerge as the highest cargo handling major port of the country, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Ports and Shipping And Waterways on Tuesday.

For the first time in the 56 years history of operation, PPA has surpassed previous records, set by Deendayal Port. Paradip Port has also recorded growth of 10.02 million metric tonnes (7.4 per cent) of traffic on a year-on-year basis, according to the statement.

During the financial year, the Paradip port also achieved the highest-ever coastal shipping traffic of 59.19 million metric tonnes, with a growth of 0.76 million metric tonnes which is 1.30 per cent higher than the previous year.

The thermal coal coastal shipping has reached 43.97 million metric tonnes which is a 4.02 per cent increase over the previous year.

Paradip Port has been able to improve its berth productivity to 33014 MT from 31050 MT in the previous financial year, registering a 6.33 per cent growth.

During the financial year, the Port has handled 21,665 rakes, registering a growth of 7.65 per cent over the previous financial year. It has also handled 2710 ships, registering an increase of 13.82 per cent.

The increased performance in cargo handling has been driven by various system improvement measures undertaken by the Port during the financial year, which include an improved system of operation at a mechanised coal handling plant.

This has reduced the idle time between rake unloading and resulted in the highest handling of thermal coal at 27.12 million metric tonnes.

Another significant step has been the northern dock of the port being declared open for handling bigger 16-metre draught cape vessels which was not being done during the previous year.

Paradip Port has also frozen its tariff for cargo handling at the level of 2022 for the next 3 years as a part of its business development initiatives making it the cheapest in terms of tariff among all the ports of the country.

The operating revenue of the port has increased by 14.3 per cent to cross Rs 2,300 crores compared Rs 2,074 crores in the previous fiscal year.

The operating surplus has crossed Rs.1,510 crores against last year of Rs.1,300 Crores with a growth of 16.44 per cent.

Paradip Port, with a 289 million metric tonnes rated capacity port as on date, is poised to cross the 300 million metric tonnes capacity mark in another 3 years with the commissioning of the Western Dock project, the statement added.