Kolkata: Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata recorded the highest cargo growth among all major Indian ports in the first quarter of FY 2025-26, handling 17.186 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo between April and June 2025. According to an issued statement, this marks a 21.21 per cent rise compared to the 14.2 MMT handled during the same period last year.
The port also registered significant growth in container traffic. In June 2025, SMP Kolkata handled 81,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 25 per cent from 65,000 TEUs in June 2024. Overall container volume for Q1 stood at 234,270 TEUs, reflecting a 29.02 per cent increase over the previous year’s corresponding quarter.
Among key commodities, vegetable oil traffic rose to 1.095 MMT, an increase of 33.21 per cent. Cooking coal throughput grew to 2.653 MMT, showing a 34.28 per cent rise. Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) volumes reached 2.495 MMT, a year-on-year increase of 14.45 per cent.
Chairman of SMP Kolkata, Rathendra Raman, attributed the port’s performance to operational coordination and stakeholder support.
The port’s twin dock systems—Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC)—played a key role in managing the increased cargo load. SMP Kolkata serves as a major logistics hub for eastern and northeastern India and also facilitates trade for landlocked neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan.