New Mangalore Port handled 39.30 million tonnes of cargo during 2021-22 as against 36.50 million tonnes handled in the previous year registering a 7.66% growth, while the all India growth rate stands at 6.94%. New Mangalore Port Authority Chairman A.V. Ramana told reporters here on Monday that 28.7 million tonnes out of the total throughput of 39.30 million tonnes was captive cargo handled by MRPL, UPCL, KIOCL and JSW and the balance 10.59 million tonnes was non-captive cargo. The increase was mainly due to increased handling of crude, POL products, coal, edible oil and containers. Container handling has witnessed a steady growth with the port handling 1.52 lakh containers as against 1.5 lakh containers the previous fiscal, while a record sugar was (2.56 lakh tonnes) imported surpassing the earlier record of 36,947 tonnes in 2019.20. Bitumen handling (2.99 lakh tonnes) too was a record as against 2.06 lakh tonnes the previous year. The port also handled 69,500 tonnes of new cargo — bulk industrial salt — in April last. Mr. Ramana said the Port handled the highest parcel size during the fiscal when MV Great Qin called at the Port on May 10, 2021 with 1.13 lakh tonnes of steam coal on Berth 16. The earlier record was 1.07 lakh tonnes handledin April 2013. It also handled five Naval vessels carrying 370 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in containers to combat COVID-19. Handling of 1,521 TEU containers of raw cashew from Africa in June 2021 through MV SSL Brahmaputra-V.084 was the highest parcel size of containers handled at the Port. Sagarmala project With the Union Government launching the Sagarmala Project in 2016, NMPA was given 10 projects worth ₹1,336 crore for port connectivity, modernisation, industrialisation and community development. Of these, seven worth ₹641 crore were completed, Mr. Ramana said. They include upgradation of platforms 2 and 3 in the Port Marshalling Yard; upgradation of railway lines 1 and 2 in the Marshalling Yard; construction of deep draft Berth 18, now numbered 16; installation of RFID tags for goods vehicles entering the port; stack yard and ancillary roads for parking Ro-Ro cargo; Mobile X-ray Container Scanner and mechanisation of Berth 16 on PPP for bulk cargo. Deputy Chairman K.G. Nath and Traffic Manager Y.R. Belagal and others were present.