Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday, 27 June 2026 congratulated Deendayal Port for setting a national record by handling 7.78 lakh tonnes of cargo in a single 24-hour period, calling it a reflection of the port workforce's dedication and the maritime reforms pursued under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

Deendayal Port, situated at Kandla in Gujarat, is one of India's oldest and largest major ports on the western coast. Formerly known as Kandla Port, it was renamed Deendayal Port Trust in 2017 and handles a wide range of cargo including petroleum products, coal, fertilisers, and containers. The port serves as a critical gateway for India's trade with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Minister Sonowal described the achievement as 'a shining example of our port workforce's dedication and the transformational maritime reforms' under the Prime Minister's leadership. The record cargo throughput in a single day marks a significant operational milestone for Indian ports.

Policy Backdrop

The achievement sits within a broader infrastructure push that the Modi government has sustained since 2014. The Sagarmala Project, launched in 2015, has been the central framework for port-led development, targeting reduced logistics costs, enhanced port connectivity with hinterlands, and greater mechanisation across major ports.

The Maritime India Vision 2030, released in 2021, further set ambitious targets for cargo capacity expansion and the development of green, technology-driven ports. Deendayal Port's single-day record is being cited by the ministry as evidence of progress against those targets. Investments in dredging, mechanised cargo-handling equipment, and private-sector participation have progressively raised throughput capacity at the port.

India's major ports collectively handled over 800 million tonnes of cargo in recent fiscal years, with the government targeting sustained double-digit growth in port traffic as part of a wider logistics efficiency drive that also includes dedicated freight corridors and integrated logistics parks.

Stakeholders and Impact

The direct beneficiaries of improved throughput at Deendayal Port include shipping companies, bulk cargo exporters and importers, and industries such as petroleum refining, power generation, and fertiliser manufacturing that depend on the port for raw material supply chains. Faster cargo turnaround translates directly into lower demurrage costs and more competitive freight rates for Indian traders.

The port workforce — dock workers, equipment operators, and logistics personnel — has been specifically acknowledged by Minister Sonowal for its role in achieving the record. Labour productivity improvements, alongside capital investment in equipment, are seen as twin drivers of the milestone. Exporters in Gujarat and the broader western-coast hinterland stand to benefit from the signal this sends about the port's capacity headroom.

What's Next

The record is likely to intensify focus on further mechanisation and capacity expansion bids at Deendayal Port and neighbouring facilities under the Sagarmala framework. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is expected to use this milestone to benchmark performance targets for other major ports under Maritime India Vision 2030.

With India's trade volumes projected to grow substantially through the decade, the pressure on western-coast ports to sustain and exceed this throughput level will only increase. Further public-private partnership bids for terminal mechanisation and capacity augmentation at Kandla are anticipated as the government looks to consolidate these operational gains into structural capacity.