Iron Ore Handling has commenced at Mormugao Port. This followed easing of the ban by the Supreme Court on the sale of iron ore which has already been mined while continuing the ban on extraction of Ore. The Mechanical Ore Handling Plant of Mormugao Port is highly versatile capable of loading a Panamax size vessel in a single day.
On 5th of October 2012, the top court of the country banned extraction and transportation of Goan iron ore in a bid to clamp down on illegal mining thereby freezing shipments. The Govrnment of Goa had earlier invited bids for sale of about 11 million tons of ore through E-auction lying at various locations following the Supreme Court order. The buyers will be allowed to ship the ore overseas or sell locally. About 2 lakh tons of ore had been lying at Mormugao Port.