The Kolkata Dock System (KDS) of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata, scripted a new milestone on 6 July 2026, recording its highest-ever single-day container throughput of 3,186 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). The feat, achieved on the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee — after whom India's oldest operating port is named — eclipses the previous record of 3,081 TEUs set just weeks earlier on 12 June 2026.

Q1 2026 Growth: Strong Numbers Across the Board

The record single-day figure capped a robust first quarter for the port. SMP Kolkata handled 2,53,945 TEUs between April and June 2026, compared to 2,34,272 TEUs during the same period in 2025 — a year-on-year growth of 8.40%, according to port officials. The consistent volume uptick positions KDS as one of the more dynamic cargo hubs on India's eastern seaboard.

JSW Infrastructure Commences Operations at Berths 7 and 8

JSW Infrastructure, the concessionaire for the mechanised Berths 7 and 8 of KDS, commenced commercial operations on the same day with the handling of the first vessel at the facility. This operationalises one of the port's flagship Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, aimed at enhancing cargo handling efficiency, productivity, and customer service.

Notably, JSW Infrastructure has also secured the concession for the proposed Outer Berth Project — the first outer berth to be developed in the history of SMP Kolkata. When completed, it is expected to significantly expand the port's capacity and reinforce KDS's standing as the premier riverine gateway of Eastern India.

Haldia Dock Complex: Coal Berth Revived

In a parallel development, SMP Kolkata revived the mechanised Thermal Coal Handling Berth-3 at Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) on 6 July 2026, reopening one of the most efficient thermal coal handling facilities on the eastern coast. Mobilisation of coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) for supply to southern thermal power utilities has commenced, with the first railway rake already arriving at the facility.

According to port officials, Berth-3 is equipped with state-of-the-art wagon tipplers, mechanised conveyor systems, and high-capacity ship loaders, capable of handling thermal coal at competitive tariffs. The integrated rail-sea logistics model — moving ECL coal to Haldia by rail and then via coastal shipping to power plants — is positioned as a cost-effective solution for power producers.

Port Leadership Signals Further Ambition

Rathendra Raman, Chairman of SMP Kolkata, said these milestones reflect the port's continued focus on operational excellence, infrastructure optimisation, and customer-centric service delivery. He expressed confidence that ongoing modernisation initiatives and improved cargo handling systems will enable the port to achieve higher benchmarks in the coming years, and congratulated trade partners, officers, employees, and unions for the achievements.

This cluster of developments — a container throughput record, the launch of a major PPP facility, and the revival of a coal berth — marks one of the most eventful single days in the recent operational history of SMP Kolkata, and sets a high bar heading into the second quarter of the fiscal year.