Visakhapatnam, August 11: Visakhapatnam Port recorded a 32.1% rise in cargo handling over five years, taking its throughput from 69.03 million tonnes (MT) in 2021-22 to 91.17 MT in 2025-26.
The growth placed Vizag third among India’s 12 major ports, behind Paradip (34.7%) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (34.2%). The national major-port network grew by 27.1% during the same period.
Vizag also outperformed most major ports on the west coast. Its 32.1% growth was higher than New Mangalore (27.4%), Deendayal (26%), Mumbai (25.5%), Mormugao (13.8%) and Cochin (10.2%).
The east coast showed strong momentum. Paradip led the country with 156.45 MT in 2025-26, followed by Vizag at 91.17 MT. V.O. Chidambaranar and Kamarajar recorded growth of 26.9% and 26.7%, respectively, while Chennai grew 19.2%.
Vizag added 22.14 MT of cargo during the five years. Only Paradip, Deendayal and Jawaharlal Nehru added more in absolute terms. The port’s share of cargo handled by all major ports also rose from about 9.6% to almost 10%.
The Shipping Ministry attributed the broader improvement in port performance to modernisation, mechanisation and better connectivity. Average turnaround time at major ports fell from 96 hours in 2014-15 to 48.8 hours in 2025-26.
For Andhra Pradesh, the numbers underline Vizag’s growing role in India’s maritime network. Paradip remains the east coast leader in cargo volume, but Visakhapatnam has emerged as one of the region’s strongest growth performers and ranks among the fastest-growing major ports nationally.
