The Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP, Kolkata), formerly known as Kolkata Port Trust, on Friday (October 7) reported 11.72% growth in handling cargo in the first six months between the April-September, 2022 quarter.
SMP, Kolkata chairperson Vinit Kumar while sharing data that handled close to 30.53 metric tonnes of cargo, as against 27.33 metric tonnes in the same period last year expressed hope of beating the pre-pandemic levels in terms of cargo handling during the current financial year. The port had registered a cargo throughput of 64 metric tonnes during 2019-20, which was one of the highest in its 151-year legacy. The volume of cargo handling was reduced to around 58 metric tonnes in 2020-21 due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced slowdown.
The Haldia Dock Complex-Midnapore on the other hand registered an increase of 12.75% by handling 22.845 metric tonnes of cargo during April-September 2022 compared to 20.262 metric tonnes during the same quarter in 2021. Meanwhile, the Kidderpore Dock System registered a growth of 8.78% by handling 7.683 metric tonnes of cargo in April-September 2022 compared to 7.063 metric tonnes during the same period last year.