Ships and merchant vessels docking at non-major ports in Gujarat transported a record 4,483 lakh tonnes of cargo during the financial year 2023-24, marking an 8 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Data from the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), the state government’s nodal agency for ports, indicate that this surpasses the previous high of 4,120 lakh tonnes recorded in 2019-20, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The growth is primarily driven by private ports in Gujarat, including Mundra, Pipavav, Dahej, and Hazira, which saw a 14.4 percent increase in cargo volumes, handling 2,475 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, up from 2,163 lakh tonnes the previous year.
Exports from these private ports grew by 19 percent, reaching 685 lakh tonnes, while imports increased by 13 percent to 1,790 lakh tonnes. This robust performance underscores the significant role of private ports in boosting Gujarat’s maritime trade.
