Deendayal Port Authority Posts 21% Year-on-Year Growth, Handling 62.86 Million Metric Tonnes of Freight in Just Over Four Months


KANDLA / GANDHIDHAM — Demonstrating strong operational resilience and accelerated cargo throughput, Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) at Kandla, Gujarat, has achieved a major milestone by handling 62.86 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of cargo in just 131 days of the current 2026–27 financial year (up to August 9, 2026). The performance represents a dramatic 21.03% year-on-year surge compared to 51.94 MMT recorded in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year—an absolute expansion of approximately 10.92 MMT.

Key Operational Drivers and Commodity Performance

The historic handling figures reinforce DPA Kandla’s position as India’s leading multipurpose Major Port, servicing an expansive industrial and agricultural hinterland across Western, Central, and Northern India.

The volume expansion was anchored by solid growth across core commodity segments:

  1. Liquid Cargo & Offshore Terminals: Bulk petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) alongside liquid chemical inflows maintained high handling velocity. The Offshore Oil Terminal at Vadinar played a pivotal role in accelerating liquid transfers, recently setting single-day operational records for tanker discharges.

  2. Dry Bulk & Fertilizers: Mechanized berth operations and upgraded conveyor infrastructure enabled rapid discharge and loading of dry bulk commodities, including fertilizers, coal, and agricultural produce, ahead of peak seasonal distribution cycles.

  3. Single-Day Throughput Benchmarks: DPA’s performance follows a string of operational records set earlier in the current fiscal, including a national record single-day cargo handling benchmark of 7.83 lakh metric tonnes (MT).

Strategic Infrastructure Upgrades Drive Velocity

Celebrating the achievement, DPA Chairman Shri Sushil Kumar Singh commended the collective efforts of port workers, shipping lines, stevedores, Customs House Agents (CHAs), and intermodal logistics partners.

The port's sustained growth trajectory is backed by aggressive capital investments designed to unchoke maritime and landside access:

  • Navigational Channel Dredging: Continuous maintenance dredging along the Gulf of Kutch channel ensures adequate draft availability for deep-draft commercial vessels and ULCVs.

  • Railway and Highway Integration: Direct on-dock rail sidings and fast-tracked highway connectivity enable rapid evacuation of landed cargo to inland container depots (ICDs) and thermal power stations across Northern India.

  • Digital Operations Management: Automated vessel traffic systems and digitized gate clearances have compressed vessel berth times and truck turnaround loops.

Industry Impact and Strategic Outlook

Having handled a record-breaking 160.11 MMT in FY 2025–26, DPA Kandla’s rapid crossing of nearly 63 MMT in just 131 days puts the port on track to achieve another historic annual throughput benchmark. As India scales up its maritime capacity to support $1 trillion in annual EXIM trade, Kandla’s high-velocity operations serve as a vital macroeconomic engine insulating domestic supply chains from international shipping volatility and lowering landed transport costs for regional industrial clusters.