Sunil Paliwal, Chairperson of the Chennai Port Authority (CPA) and CMD, Kamarajar Port Ltd (KPL) informed that both Chennai and Kamarajar ports are posting strong growth, emerging from the impact of COVID-19. CPA and KPL reported 12%, 50% increase in cargo handling, respectively. There is more synergy between the ports to drive cargo growth and performance rather than competition. KPL became a fully-owned subsidiary of Chennai Port Trust in March 2020.
In the FY2021-22, Chennai port handled 48.56 million tonnes (mt) of cargo, and exceeded the Shipping ministry’s target of 44.42 mt. The Kamarajar port at Ennore in North Chennai handled 38.74 mt as against the target of 39 mt. Chennai port reported a 12 per cent increase in cargo handling in 2021-22 as against 4 per cent in the previous year. The Kamarajar port had a 50 per cent growth in cargo handling 2021-22 as against 22 per cent in the previous year. For the current fiscal, the target for Chennai port is to achieve 49 mt and for Kamarajar port it is 42 mt, he added.
