India's container traffic increases

The 12 major ports in India have registered a 1.17 per cent increase in traffic to 180 million tonnes during the April-July period compared with the same period a year earlier.
A report by The Times of India noted that container volumes are now beginning to show some signs of upwards movement. In July 2009, container volumes increased by 3.1 per cent over the same month last year, and marked the second consecutive month of rising box volumes, after box volumes decreased in the first two months of this fiscal.

But the Indian Ports Association (IPA) reported the volumes for FY2010 to date have fallen by 2.9 per cent year on year.

"Container traffic volumes have increased in the last three months. These are good signs but most of this traffic is in-bound, with Chinese imports picking up," said one official from Chennai shipping company.

The report added the 12 major ports suffered a decline of one per cent in cargo handling in July, with the volume handled amounting to 435,000 tonnes of cargo compared with 440,000 tonnes in July 2008, according to the Shipping Gazette.

(Source: Transport Weekly)