KOCHI : Setting a new record, Cochin Port handled 36.32 million metric tonnes (MT) of cargo in 2023-24, registering a modest growth of 3.01% over the previous financial year.
The cargo profile of the port was dominated by liquid bulk, which contributed 68%, while container traffic accounted for 28% of the total cargo. The growth in traffic was led by an 8.57% jump in liquid bulk cargo (24.83 million MT), primarily driven by crude, petroleum products and LNG. A record of 17.20 million MT of crude and 5.86 million MT of petroleum products were handled at the port.
The port also handled 1.13 million MT of LNG in 2023-24, which was 18.58% higher than in the previous year. Cochin Port started handling LPG at the multi-user liquid terminal (MULT), which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 17, 2024.
The current financial year also saw the port widening its cargo profile with the handling of 1,33,534 MT of LPG. It also handled 3,44,001 MT of bunkers. The port handled 1.17 million MT of dry bulk cargo which included cement, fertiliser and salt, whereas alumina, steel coils and defence cargo were the major constituents in the 1,39,255 MT of break bulk cargo handled at the port. During the current financial year, the port handled 15,816 MT of wooden logs, a new cargo. Of the total traffic of 36.32 million MT, 35% (12.59 million MT) was coastal trade and the remaining 65% was foreign trade.
The coastal cargo sector recorded steady growth. The major commodities that contributed to this growth include cement, petroleum products, salt and containers. The coastal trade was primarily between ports in west coast such as Kandla, Muldwarka and Mangalore and on the east coast with Haldia and Vizag.
Container traffic registered an all-time high of 7,54,237 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), surpassing the previous best of 7,35,577 TEUs handled in 2021-22. In the previous year, the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) in Vallarpadam handled 6,95,230 TEUs.
Out of 7,54,237 TEUs, 3,83,232 were exim boxes (51%) and 3,71,005 TEUs coastal traffic (49%). The ICTT also handled 75,370 TEUs in March 2024 which is the highest monthly volume, surpassing the previous high of 75,141 TEUs handled in February 2024.
25 cruises come calling
Cochin Port hosted 52,915 guests on board 43 cruise ships, which included 25 foreign cruises with 20,843 guests and 18 domestic cruises with 32,072 guests. As against an average of 1,174 passengers per call during 2022-23, the average number of passengers per call increased to 1,260 passengers in 2023-24. There was a 7.3% increase in the average passenger in domestic cruise calls, which is indicative of the growing interest for cruise tourism. Notably, there were eight maiden cruise calls (Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Millennium, Bolette, Riviera, Le Jacques Cartier, Silver Moon, Viking Sky and Seven Seas Mariner) during the current fiscal.
Way to go , with cargo
36.32mn MT Cargo traffic handled at Cochin Port in 2023-24
68%Liquid bulk handled
28%Container traffic’s share of total
Key Constituents
Crude: 17.20mn MT
Petroleum: 5.86mn MT
LNG: 1.13mn MT
LPG: 1,33,534 tonnes
Bunkers: 3,44,001 tonnes
Dry bulk cargo:1.17mn MT
Wooden logs: 15,816 tonnes
Coastal trade: 12.59mn MT
7,54,237 TEUs Amount of container traffic handled
7,35,577 TEUs Previous record, set in 2021-22
6,95,230 TEUs Traffic handled in 2022-23
Cruise Traffic
43Cruise visits in 2023-24 with 52,915 tourists
Foreign cruises: 25
No of passengers: 20,843
Domestic cruises: 18
No of passengers: 32,072