Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India's largest container-handling port, has entered FY2026-27 with exceptional momentum, recording back-to-back monthly container throughput records. In September 2026, JNPA handled an all-time monthly high of 834,697 TEUs, representing a 28.63% increase over the 648,907 TEUs handled in September 2025 and surpassing the previous record of 831,956 TEUs set just one month earlier in August . Total cargo handled during September rose 18.39% to 9.90 million tonnes from 8.36 million tonnes a year earlier .

The growth trajectory extends across the first half of FY2026-27. For the April-September 2026 period, JNPA handled 4,661,517 TEUs, an increase of 17.61% over 3,963,515 TEUs in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Total cargo rose 13.36% to 56.26 million tonnes from 49.63 million tonnes . This first-half container volume already equals approximately 57% of the port's full-year total for FY2025-26, indicating that the current fiscal year is likely to set another annual record.

At the terminal level, Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal (NSFT) emerged as the standout performer, handling 134,193 TEUs in September 2026, more than double the 65,330 TEUs from a year earlier and surpassing its previous monthly high of 123,876 TEUs set in August. NSFT's first-half volumes rose 123.46% to 707,242 TEUs . Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT), operated by PSA International, remained the port's largest terminal, handling 301,573 TEUs in September, up 46.86%, and 1,582,117 TEUs in the first half, up 19.74% .

The strong container performance follows a record-breaking FY2025-26 for JNPA. The port handled 8,173,274 TEUs of container traffic during the financial year, an increase of 11.94% from the previous annual handling of 7,301,509 TEUs. Total cargo reached 102.01 million tonnes, a growth of 10.74% over FY2024-25 . JNPA's container throughput constituted approximately 53.93% of the total container traffic handled by all Major Ports in India (13.541 million TEUs) .

At the national level, India's 12 major ports under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways collectively handled 915.17 million tonnes of cargo in FY2025-26, surpassing the annual target of 904 MT and registering a year-on-year growth of 7.06% . Deendayal Port Authority emerged as the top performer at 160.11 MT, followed by Paradip Port Authority at 156.45 MT, and JNPA at 102.01 MT. In terms of growth rate, Mormugao Port Authority recorded the highest increase at 15.91%, followed by Kolkata Dock System at 14.28% and JNPA at 10.74% .

The growth has been driven by capacity augmentation and modernisation of port infrastructure, strengthened multimodal connectivity, adoption of digital and smart port initiatives, and improved turnaround times. JNPA's operational performance in October 2026 illustrated the efficiency gains: despite a surge in export cargo from more than 15 vessels arriving simultaneously during the weekend of October 2-3, the port restored normal traffic flow by October 4, with average truck turnaround time at 1.47 hours port-wide . Yard inventory dropped from a peak of 120,173 TEUs to 94,519 TEUs by October 6, and CFS import pendency was reduced from 22,622 TEUs to 15,770 TEUs .

Looking ahead, the growth momentum is expected to be sustained by India's long-term maritime strategy. Under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways aims to enhance India's port handling capacity from the current level to approximately 10,000 million tonnes per annum by 2047 . Six port clusters are being developed as mega ports, including the Jawaharlal Nehru–Vadhavan Port cluster with a targeted capacity exceeding 500 MTPA . The Vadhavan Port project, approved at an estimated cost of ₹76,220 crore, is designed to handle 298 million metric tonnes annually and accommodate the world's largest container vessels, further reinforcing JNPA's position as a cornerstone of India's container logistics network.