Visakhapatnam Port Handles 50 Million Tonnes in Record 196 Days

The Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) reached a cumulative cargo throughput of 50,007,081 tonnes in 196 days of the financial year 2026, 27.

The milestone was recorded on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, according to official figures released by the port authority.

This is the fastest the port has reached the 50 million metric tonne (MMT) mark in the three financial years cited by VPA.

The port had taken 213 days to achieve the same milestone in 2025, 26, reaching it on October 30, 2025.

In 2024, 25, it took 224 days and reached the mark on November 10, 2024.

The latest performance therefore represents a reduction of 17 days compared with 2025, 26 and 28 days compared with 2024, 25.

Cargo growth through the year

VPA recorded steady cargo growth during the first half of the financial year, crossing 10 MMT in 41 days on May 11, 2026.

The port reached 25 MMT on Friday July 3, 2026, and handled 45 MMT in 180 days on October 7, 2026.

The port authority attributed the growth to the handling of large vessels and bulk liquid cargo.

In June, VPA recorded its highest-ever crude oil discharge in a calendar month at 2.15 MMT.

That followed liquid cargo handling of 1.85 MMT in May.

Another significant development came on September 1, 2026, when the port berthed ATREBATES, a Belgian-flagged vessel measuring 339.5 metres in length overall (LOA).

The vessel was the largest crude carrier handled by VPA at its single point mooring (SPM) berth.

Target for 2026, 27

VPA chairperson J.S. Bindra and deputy chairperson Roshni Aparanji Korati congratulated the traffic department and operational team on reaching the milestone.

They expressed confidence that the port would meet its cargo-handling target of 100 MMT for 2026, 27.

Source: The Hindu