India has a long coastline of 7,516.6 km with 13 major ports and around 205 notified non-majors (intermediate) ports. Six new mega ports are to be developed under the Sagarmala Project. According to the Ministry of Shipping, India’s 95% of trading by volume is done through maritime transport, it stands at 70% by value. Among these 13 major ports in India, 7 are on the western coastal line and the rest are on the eastern coastal line. The remaining major port is situated in Andaman Nicobar Island Union Territory. While the Union Shipping Ministry manages all the Major ports, the intermediate and the minor ports are managed by the State governments in which the port is located. Even though the Mundra port in Gujarat is categorized as an intermediate port it does handle large capacities of cargo more than some of these 13 major ports. Mundra Port is the largest private port in India.
The list of important ports in India |
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| Port Name | Zone | State | Features |
| Chennai | Eastern Coast | Tamil Nadu | Artificial Port Second busiest port |
| Kochi | Western Coast | Kerala | Sited in the Vembanad lake Exports of spices and salts Also called the Natural Gateway to South West India |
| Kamarajar or Ennore | Eastern Coast | Tamil Nadu | India’s First corporatized port |
| Kolkata | Eastern Coast | West Bengal | India’s only major Riverine port Situated on Hugli river Known as Diamond Harbour Also known as the Gateway to Eastern India |
| Deendayal Port or Kandla Port | Western Coast | Gujarat | Known as Tidal Port Opened in 1950 First Export processing port in India Acknowledged as Trade Free Zone Largest port by volume of cargo handled. |
| Mangalore | Western Coast | Karnataka | Deals with the iron ore exports. India’s first deepwater and all-weather port |
| Mormugao | Western Coast | Goa | Situated on the estuary of the river Zuari |
| Mumbai Port Trust | Western Coast | Maharashtra | Largest Natural Port and harbor In India The busiest port in India Also called ‘Front Bay’ of India Opened in 1873 |
| JNPT or Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai | Western Coast | Maharashtra | Largest Artificial Port in India It is the Largest Container Port in India. |
| Paradip | Eastern Coast | Odisha | Natural Harbor Deals with the export of iron and aluminum First Major port on the east coast commissioned in Independent India in 1966 |
| V O Chidambaranar or Tuticorin | Eastern Coast | Tamil Nadu | A major port in south India deals with the fertilizers and petrochemical products |
| Visakhapatnam | Eastern Coast | Andhra Pradesh | Deepest port of India deals with the export of iron ore to Japan. Amenities for building and fixing of ships are available |
| Port Blair | Bay of Bengal | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | The port connected to the mainland of India through ship and flight. This port is situated in between international shipping lines |
After the partition India loss the Karachi port to Pakistan. Kandla port in Kuchchh, also known as tidal port, is the first port developed post Independence to ease the volume of trade on the Mumbai port. It has been renamed Deendayal Port in 2017. Mumbai has been the biggest port with a big natural and well-sheltered harbor. The Jawaharlal Nehru(JN) port in Mumbai was planned with a view to decongesting the Mumbai port. Mormugao port in Goa is India’s premier iron ore exporting port. It accounts for about fifty percent of India’s iron ore exports. The New Mangalore port, located in Karnataka used to caters to the export of iron ore concentrates from Kudremukh Iron ore mines, which were closed in 2005. The Cochin Port on the extreme southwest is located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbor.
Important Facts about Ports in India
- Port Blair port in Andaman Nicobar Islands is the 13th and the youngest major port of India declared so in 2010.
- Kolkata is an inland riverine port in the Hooghly river. This port serves a very large and rich hinterland of the Ganga- Brahmaputra basin. Kolkata Port is a tidal port. Haldia Port is a subsidiary port of the Kolkata Port. It has a twin dock system, the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) on the eastern bank, and the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) on the western bank of the Hooghly river.
- Paradip Port is located at the convergence of river Mahanadi in the Bay of Bengal in Odisha.
- Vishakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port.
- Ennore Port was renamed Kamarajar Port Limited. It is the first corporate port of India and is registered as a public company.
- Tuticorin Port was renamed as V.O. Chidambaranar Port. It is located in the Gulf of Mannar and it is the only port in South India to provide a direct weekly container service to the United States of America.
- Chennai Port is the largest port on the east coast(in the Bay of Bengal) and the second-largest port of India after Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai. Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports in the country. It is ranked next to Mumbai in terms of the volume of trade and cargo.
- Cochin Port lies on two islands in the Lake of Kochi: Willingdon Island and Vallarpadam, towards the Fort Kochi river mouth opening onto the Laccadive Sea(Lakshadweep Sea).
- New Mangalore Port is at Panambur in Karnataka at Gurupura river confluence with the Arabian Sea.
- Mormugao Port in Goa is India’s premier iron ore exporting port.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) also is known as the Nhava Sheva, is the largest container port in India. Nhava and Sheva are the villages near the port. JNPT is located on the eastern shore of Mumbai harbor off Elephanta Island and is accessed via Thane Creek.
- Mumbai Port is one of the oldest modern ports in India.
- Deendayal Port in Gujarat is known for handling the crude oil imports of India.
- Lothal Port in Gujarat is considered the oldest port in India. It was operational during the Indus valley civilization.
- Ports in India are included in the Concurrent List of the Constitution.
Government Initiatives on Ports
The Central Government has started various initiatives for the development of Ports in India. Some of them are listed below.
- According to the Union Budget 2020-21, the fund allocation for the Ministry of Shipping has raised to Rs.1,800 crore (US$ 257.22 million)
- Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 was introduced in the Loksabha, which intends to provide regulation, operation, and planning of major ports in India.
- Project UNNATI was started by the Government of India to identify opportunity areas to improve operations of key ports.
- The Shipping Ministry launched a dispute redressal portal, ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports) to help develop confidence in the private sector, as ports are shifting to landlord models.
- In October 2020, Union Minister Mr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the ‘Direct Port Entry Facility’ at the V.O. Chidambaranar port. This facility will enable direct movement of containers from factories, without intermediate handling at any CFS (Container Freight Station), facilitating shippers to get their exports directly to the container terminal (24×7), thereby increasing efficiency and ease of doing business.
- The Ministry of Shipping launched an indigenous software solution for vessel traffic services (VTS) and vessels traffic monitoring systems (VTMS) in October 2020.
- To boost shipbuilding, in line with the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Ministry of Shipping reviewed the ROFR (Right of First Refusal) licensing conditions in October 2020 for chartering vessels/ships through the tender process for all types of requirements. To promote the demand for ships built in India, priority for chartering of vessels is given to vessels built in India, flagged in India, and owned by Indians as per amendments in the guidelines of ROFR (Right of First Refusal).
Important Questions on Ports in India
Largest Port in India
Ans: Mumbai Port – in terms of Size and traffic
Largest Container Port in India
Ans: JNPT, Nava Sheva
Kandla port is located in which state?
Ans: Gujarat
Kandla port is renamed as ?
Ans: Deendayal Port
Deepest Port in India
Ans: Visakhapatnam