NEW DELHI: The country's top-12 major ports have recorded a marginal 1.48 per cent upswing in cargo handling at 348.44 million tonne (MT) in the April-September period of the current financial year, according to ports' apex body IPA The growth at these ports, which had handled 343.37 MT cargo in the corresponding period of the previous financial year, was driven mainly by higher handling of coking coal fertilisers and iron ore.The 12 major ports -- Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V.O.Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) -- handled 348.44 MT of cargo during the April-September 2019 period, according to the latest data by the Indian Ports Association (IPA).Increased demand from various sectors including coal , fertilisers, iron ore and containers was the main reason for the growth in the traffic, IPA said.Coking coal volumes handled by the 12 ports surged 15.25 per cent to 29.29 MT during the period, while thermal coal volumes declined 13.20 per cent.Finished fertiliser volumes saw a growth of 11.38 per cent during the period.Containers recorded a growth of 5.61 per cent in terms of TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units).According to the figures, Deendayal port handled the highest traffic volume at 61.04 MT during the April-September period, followed by Paradip at 55.55 MT, Visakhapatnam at 34.75, JNPT at 34.41 MT, Kolkata (including Haldia) at 31.64 MT, and Mumbai at 30.10 MT. Chennai port handled 24.74 MT of cargo, while New Mangalore handled 17.86 MT.Volume of seaborne cargo is essentially in the nature of derived demand and is mainly shaped by the levels and changes in both global and domestic activity.The major ports handle about 60 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.