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India's Major Ports Set Record with 915 Million Tonnes Cargo in FY26

India's major ports collectively handled a record 915.17 million tonnes of cargo in the 2025-26 financial year, surpassing the annual target. This achievement represents a strong year-on-year growth of 7.06%, driven by government reforms and infrastructure modernization. Deendayal Port Authority led the performance, followed by Paradip Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority. The Union Minister credited the success to the government's commitment to building world-class port infrastructure under Prime Minister Modi's vision.

Key Points: India's Major Ports Handle Record 915M Tonnes Cargo in FY26

  • Record 915.17 MT cargo handled
  • Exceeded 904 MT annual target
  • 7.06% year-on-year growth
  • Deendayal Port top performer at 160.11 MT
2 min read

India's major ports handled record 915.17 million tonnes of cargo in FY26

India's major ports achieved a record 915.17 million tonnes of cargo in FY 2025-26, exceeding targets with 7.06% growth, driven by port modernization.

"The record cargo handling... is a testament to the government's unwavering commitment to strengthening India's maritime sector. - Sarbananda Sonowal"

New Delhi, April 5

In a significant achievement for India's maritime sector, the country's major ports have collectively handled 915.17 million tonnes of cargo during FY 2025-26, surpassing the annual target of 904 MT, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to mark National Maritime Day.

This reflects a year-on-year growth of 7.06 per cent, reaffirming the sector's strong recovery and sustained growth trajectory driven by transformative reforms and strategic investments undertaken by the Government of India to modernise port infrastructure, enhance logistics efficiency, and strengthen India's position as a leading maritime nation, the official statement said.

The performance shows consistent growth across major ports, with Deendayal Port Authority emerging as the top performer at 160.11 MT, followed by Paradip Port Authority at 156.45 MT, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at 102.01 MT. Other key ports, including Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, Chennai Port Authority, and New Mangalore Port Authority, also registered strong performance, contributing significantly to the overall cargo throughput.

In terms of growth rate, Mormugao Port Authority recorded the highest increase at 15.91 per cent, followed by Kolkata Dock System at 14.28 per cent and JNPA at 10.74per cent, reflecting improved efficiency and rising cargo volumes.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said, "The record cargo handling of over 915 million tonnes by our major ports is a testament to the government's unwavering commitment to strengthening India's maritime sector. Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are building world-class port infrastructure, improving efficiency, and enabling seamless logistics to support India's growing economy."

The sustained growth in cargo handling has been driven by capacity augmentation and modernisation of port infrastructure, strengthened multimodal connectivity and seamless hinterland linkages, adoption of digital and smart port initiatives, increased handling of key commodities including coal, crude oil, containers, fertilisers, and POL, as well as improved turnaround time and ease of doing business across ports.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to advance a comprehensive maritime strategy focused on port-led development, logistics integration, and sustainability.

With sustained policy momentum and infrastructure investments, India's major ports are well-positioned to further scale new milestones and contribute significantly to the nation's economic growth and global trade leadership, the statement added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Great achievement, but I hope this efficiency translates to lower costs for our exporters and importers. Sometimes the port charges and logistics costs still feel too high. The focus should be on making Indian goods more competitive globally.
R
Rohit P
Impressive numbers! The 7% growth is solid. My company ships goods through JNPA and the turnaround time has definitely improved in the last couple of years. Kudos to the teams on the ground.
S
Sarah B
As someone working in international trade, this is very encouraging. The digital initiatives and improved connectivity are key. Hope they continue to invest in sustainability as well—green ports are the future.
V
Vikram M
Good to see Mormugao and Kolkata Dock with high growth rates. Development of ports beyond the usual big names is important for balanced regional growth. Next, we need to focus on inland waterways to reduce road congestion.
K
Karthik V
Record handling is one thing, but what about the last-mile connectivity? The roads from ports like Chennai are still a nightmare. Infrastructure development has to be holistic, not just at the port.

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