Coal shipments handled by India’s 12 major state-run ports during April-September rose by 15.25 per cent to 29.29 million tonne (MT), according to a ports’ body.
The state-run ports had handled 25.41 MT of coking coal cargo in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
Shipments of thermal or steam coal, however, declined by 13.20 per cent to 44.87 million tonne, the Indian Ports Association (IPA) data showed.
The IPA said these ports handled 51.69 MT of thermal coal in the April-September period of the previous fiscal.
Thermal coal is the mainstay of the country’s energy programme as 70 per cent of power generation is dependent on the dry fuel, while coking coal is used mainly for steel-making.
