The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) recorded higher cargo traffic through its platform sduring the financial year than targets set by the authorities.

NMPT Chairman P Tamilvanan said that the port was able to achieve a growth of 2.88 per cent higher than the target for cargo handling set by Ministry of Shipping for 2012-13. He announced that the port handled its highest ever traffic of 37.04 million tonnes of cargo during the financial year 2012-13 compared to 32.94 million tonnes handled in the previous financial year. The total cargo handled volume grew 12.43 per cent from the previous financial year.

The data showed that the traffic increased due to increased shipments of coal, petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL), crude and other products, maize and containerised cargoes. Tamilvanan pointed out that the total container traffic recorded an increase of 7.55 per cent from the previous year. The port also received 15 cruise vessels carrying 10,196 passengers during the financial year.

Tamilvanan affirmed that the port will be able to achieve net surplus of Rs. 138 crore by surpassing the financial surplus at Rs. 100 crore for the eighth year in a year. The port has completed the civil works on the construction of a berth for handling petroleum products and it will now build two additional storage sheds for food grains and fertilizers with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes each.