Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla, Gujarat, has notched up yet another operational feat, loading 38,500 metric tonnes of bentonite onto MV Buzzard in just 22 hours and 25 minutes. The operation began at 4.05 pm on July 2, 2026 and concluded at 2.30 pm the following day. This also underscored the port's growing reputation for speed and efficiency in bulk cargo handling.
Bentonite, a clay mineral widely used in drilling fluids, foundry work and construction, was exported by Gimpex Imerys India Private Limited and Bharat Abrasives and Chemical Industries, with stevedoring handled by Shree Ashapura Stevedores, a unit of the Ashapura Shipping Group.
The achievement fits a pattern of record-breaking performance at Kandla, which has emerged as India's busiest major port in recent years.
DPA became the fastest major port in the country to cross 100 million tonnes of cargo in the 2025–26 financial year, later smashing through the 150 million tonne mark with 18 days still left in the fiscal year, before finishing the year at a record 160.11 million tonnes, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
That figure made DPA the top performer among all major ports nationally, ahead of Paradip Port Authority and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, as India's major ports collectively handled 915.17 million tonnes of cargo, a year-on-year growth of 7.06 per cent.
Chairman Sushil Kumar Singh credited the bentonite loading success to the coordinated efforts of stakeholders, port users, trade unions, officers, employees and shramiks, echoing the port's broader "12 Saal – Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-Kalyan ke" theme marking twelve years of the Modi government's maritime development push.
Faster vessel turnaround times of this kind directly reduce demurrage costs for exporters and strengthen India's competitiveness in global bulk commodity trade, a factor increasingly emphasised in maritime logistics literature examining port efficiency's link to trade costs.
Kandla recently also set a national record of 7.78 lakh tonnes handled in a single day on June 26, 2026.
