The Indian peninsula is surrounded by water bodies on its three sides the Bay of Bengal on the east, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Indian Ocean on the south. Since the historic times, India has had a strong and extensive network of maritime trade relations with other nations, and ports were developed as a result of this.
Nowadays, according to the Government's statistics, 95% of India’s foreign trade is carried out mainly via seaports. So ports play a pivotal role in the country’s overseas trade and commerce thereby in the development of the nation.
Along India's 7,516.6 km long coastline, there are 13 major seaports and over 200 notified minor and intermediate ports that handle an enormous volume of traffic. Of which 12 are government-controlled and the remaining one, Ennore port of Chennai is a corporate one. These are located in the 9 coastal Indian states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal).
The Central Government is responsible for the development of the principal ports whereas minor ports are under the control of respective State Governments.
Sagarmala Project was an initiative launched by the Government of India in 2015 to modernize the country's leading ports.
Facts about Ports in India
- Total no. of Major Seaports in India – 13.
- Largest Port in India – Mumbai Port.
- Busiest Port in India.
- Largest Natural Port and Harbor In India.
- Second Largest Port in India – Chennai Port.
- Oldest Shipyard of India – Vizag Port.
- Oldest Port of India – Lothal Port (Gujarat).
- Oldest Operating Port in India – Kolkata Port.
- Deepest Port in India – Gangavaram Port (Andhra Pradesh).
- The Base of Indian Coast Guard – Haldia Port.
- First Corporate Port in India – Ennore Port.
- First Private Port in India – Port Pipavav (Gujarat).
- The first multi-product port-based special economic zone (SEZ) – Mundra Port (Gujarat).
- run by Adani Ports & SEZ Limited.
- First transshipment terminal in India – Kochi International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) / Vallarpadam Terminal.
- First container terminal to operate in a SEZ – Vallarpadam Terminal.
- Iron Ore Exporting Port in India – Mormugoa Port.
- Largest Container Port in India – Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- Largest Artificial Port in India – Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- Asia’s first Export Processing Zone (EPZ) – Kandla Port (1965).
- Only Natural Seaport in the shores of Bay of Bengal – Vizag Port.
- First Major Port commissioned after Independence – Paradip Port.
- Opened on – March 12, 1966.
- Constructed on the – confluence of Mahanadi river & Bay of Bengal.
- Biggest port of India based on the volume of freight handled – Kandla Port.
- Indian State with the Largest no. of Major Ports – Tamil Nadu.
- 3 major ports: Chennai Port, Ennore Port & Tuticorin Port.
- Newest Port in India – Vadhavan Port (Maharashtra).
List of Sea Ports in India
The major ports of India that are situated on the east and west coastlines are listed as below:
Western Coast
| Port Name | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Cochin Port | Kochi, Kerala | 1926 |
| Kandla Port | Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat | 1950 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Port | South Mumbai, Maharashtra | 1989 |
| New Mangalore Port | Mangalore, Karnataka | 1974 |
| Mormugoa Port | Panaji, Goa | 1888 |
| Mumbai Port | West Mumbai, Maharashtra | 1870 |
Eastern Coast
| Port Name | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai Port | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 1881 |
| Ennore Port | Coromandel Coast, Tamil Nadu | 2001 |
| Haldia Port | Kolkata, West Bengal | 1967 |
| Kolkata Port | Kolkata, West Bengal | 1870 |
| Paradip Port | Jagatsinghpur, Odisha | 1962 |
| Tuticorin Port | Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu | 1974 |
| Vishakhapatnam Port | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh | 1933 |
- Oldest Operating Port in India – Kolkata Port.
- Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.
- Only major Riverine Port in India.
- Opened on – 1870.
- Constructed by – British East India Company
- Has twin dock system: Haldia dock & Kolkata dock (Hooghly river).
- Major goods transported – Iron ore, steel, coal, copper, leather & tea.
- Largest Seaport on the Eastern Coast – Vishakhapatnam Port (Vizag port).
- Opened on – December 19, 1933.
- Cleanest Port in India – Vishakhapatnam Port.
- The third largest seaport in India based on volume of cargo handled – Vishakhapatnam Port.
- The Only Indian Port To Enter Into Top -20 In World Bank 2023 CPPI ranking – Vishakhapatnam Port.
- Major goods transported – Iron ore, coal, oil, pellets, alumina.
- First Major Port commissioned after Independence – Paradip Port.
- Opened on – March 12, 1966.
- Constructed on the – confluence of Mahanadi river & Bay of Bengal.
- Major goods transported – Iron ore, coal.
- First Corporate Port in India – Ennore Port.
- 12th major port of India.
- The first port in India which is a public company (in which Govt. of India owns 67%).
- Opened in – 2001.
- Major goods transported – Coal, petroleum products, iron ore.
- Largest port in the Bay of Bengal – Chennai Port / Madras Port.
- Opened in – 1881.
- Third oldest port in India.
- First dedicated container terminal in India (1983).
- Gateway of South India – Chennai (due to the existence of Chennai port).
- Major goods transported – Iron ore, coal, petroleum products, Automobiles, fertilisers, granite.
- Fourth largest container terminal in India – Tuticorin Port.
- Opened in – 1974.
- Major goods transported – Coal, Cement, fertilizers, rock phosphate, petroleum products, petroleum coke, and edible oils.
New Names of Ports
- Ennore Port – Kamarajar Port.
- Kandla Port – Deendayal Port Trust.
- Kolkata Port – Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port.
- Nhava Sheva – Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- Panambur Port – New Mangalore Port.
- Tuticorin Port – V. O. Chidambaranar Port.
Recently in News
Port at Vadhavan
The Indian Govt. has given approval for setting up another major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra based on the Landlord Port Model.
In the Landlord Model, the port is owned and regulated by the publicly governed port authority which acts as the landlord, and the tenant private companies carry out port operations like cargo-handling activities.
Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020
Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Shipping with an aim to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. Its key objective is to introduce the Landlord Port Model.
📝 SideNotes - :
- Peninsula – a landmass surrounded by water bodies on three sides.
- Ministry of Shipping –
- Headquarters – Parivahan Bhavan, Delhi
- Minister – Mansukh L. Mandaviya,
- Tidal Port – Kandla Port.
- Front Bay – Mumbai Port.
- Diamond Harbour – Kolkata Port.
- Hitech Port of India – Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- Offspring of Partition – Kandla Port.
- Gateway of Eastern India – Haldia Port.
- Port inaugurated by Lord Willingdon – Visakhapatnam port.
- Port situated near the Rann of Kutch – Kandla Port.
- Port that handles the export of iron ore concentrates from Kudremukh mines – New Mangalore Port.
- Pearl City – Thoothukudi (Tuticorin), famous for pearl fishing in the Bay of Bengal.
- City of Pearls – Hyderabad.
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