Kandla Port Crosses 160 Million Tonnes in FY26 — India’s Highest Major Port Throughput on Record

Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla, has surpassed the 160 million tonne cargo handling mark in financial year 2025-26, emerging as the undisputed top-performing major port in India by throughput volume — a landmark achievement that underscores the port’s indispensable role in the country’s trade and energy logistics ecosystem and sets a new benchmark for the Indian major port sector.

DPA Chairman Sushil Kumar Singh attributed the milestone to the collective efforts of all stakeholders — port users, transporters, stevedores, shipping agents, customs officials, trade unions, and port employees — whose coordinated commitment drove consistent cargo handling performance throughout the year. The 160 MMT figure is particularly remarkable given the disruption to Gulf shipping routes in the final weeks of the financial year caused by the Hormuz crisis, which impacted inbound and outbound cargo flows at Kandla’s closely linked western coast trade lanes.

Record Wind Turbine Blade Shipment

In a separate achievement that reflects Kandla’s growing credentials as a renewable energy logistics hub, DPA simultaneously set a new record for the highest-ever cargo volume in cubic metres handled in a single wind turbine blade shipment. The record-breaking consignment — comprising 153 wind turbine blades with a combined volume of 1,67,675 CBM — arrived aboard the vessel MV KANG QI FU HUA and was handled with precision that port authorities described as a demonstration of Kandla’s infrastructure depth and project cargo coordination capability.

The wind turbine blade consignment fits within a broader pattern of Kandla evolving from a pure bulk and liquid cargo port into a multi-commodity gateway capable of handling the most complex and oversized cargo associated with India’s renewable energy boom. As India accelerates its wind and solar capacity addition under the National Energy Transition roadmap, ports like Kandla that can handle project cargo at scale will be critical logistics partners for developers installing turbines across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and beyond.

Kamarajar Port Also Records 1,000 Vessel Milestone in FY26

Kandla’s record performance was mirrored on India’s east coast, where Kamarajar Port Limited achieved its own FY26 milestone by handling over 1,000 vessels during the financial year — a first for the port and a reflection of its growing role as a significant gateway for industrial cargo along India’s southeastern coast. VOC Port Authority added another green first to the sector’s FY26 achievements, launching a carbon credit initiative from its renewable energy assets: five registered projects with 12.4 MW of combined capacity are expected to generate approximately 19,483 carbon credits over the next decade, potentially yielding revenue of nearly ₹50 crore from the carbon market.