List of Top 10 Largest Ports in India

Top 10 Largest Ports in India: The biggest port in Maharashtra state of India is called the Mumbai Port. India has a total of thirteen main ports, from which twelve ports are owned by the Indian government and the remaining one is a commercial port. There are 187 minor ports in India. A Port is a place where the loading and unloading of products through water transport occurs from different parts of the country.

The top 10 largest ports in India are Mumbai Port, Chennai Port, Mundra Port, Vishakapatnam Port, Cochin Port, Kandla Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Hazira Port, V.O Chidambaranar Port, and Mormugao Port. Around 95 percent of the trading is done through volume and more than 68 percent of trading by value through water transport.

In this article, we have provided the list of the top 10 largest ports in India, and a brief description of each.

Top 10 Largest Ports in India

The below table lists the top 10 largest ports in India and a brief description of each:

S. No.	Port Name	State
1	Mumbai Port	Maharashtra
2	Chennai Port	Tamil Nadu
3	Mundra Port	Gujarat
4	Vishakapatnam Port	Andhra Pradesh
5	Cochin Port	Kerala
6	Kandla Port	Gujarat
7	Jawaharlal Nehru Port	Mumbai
8	Hazira Port	Gujarat
9	V.O Chidambaranar Port	Tamil Nadu
10	Mormugao Port	Goa

Tenth Largest Port in India: Mormugao Port

The tenth largest port in India is Marmagao Port. The port belongs to Goa state. Goa is a tourism destination but is well-known for its beautiful environment and beaches. In 1885, the port was made. 

• The Mormugao Port Authority manages the port, which is owned by the Indian government. 
• In the Vasco region of Goa, the port is thought to be the main employment. 
• Some years back the port was known by the name Mormugao Port Trust, but in 2022 it changed into Mormugao Port by the government.

Ninth Largest Port in India: V.O. Chidambaranar Port

The port is situated in Tuticorin region of Tamil Nadu state of India. The port is considered to be the fourth largest terminal in container. The port is also certified by ISO. The port handles the export and imports from big countries including the USA and China. The port mostly does the trading of coal, iron ores, fertilizers, petroleum, sugar, cements, granites, and copper. 

• About 0.9 million TEUs and more than 35 million tonnes of cargo are handled by the port annually. 
• The port, which spans 2150 acres, was constructed and opened for business in 1974—more than 50 years ago. 
• More than 2,000 people are employed by the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, which runs the port. 

Eighth Largest Port in India: Hazira Port

The port is located in Gujarat, India’s Hazira district. Given that the majority of its residents own their own private businesses, Gujarat is known as the land of doing business. Adani Hazira Port Private Limited is in charge of overseeing the port.

• The port is considered to be one of the most advanced ports in the terms of techniques and also the biggest center of export and import in Gujarat.
• The port handles approximately a million TEUs and about 2 to 3 million of cargo. 
• The port is owned by Sell Gas B.V along with the Total Gaz Electricite and the last Holdings France. 

Seventh Largest Port in India: Jawaharlal Nehru Port

The port is located in India’s Maharashtra state in Navi Mumbai region. It is one of the biggest ports of India. Mumbai is largely populated and the infrastructure of the area helps the traders to work comfortably. 

• The port holds 28^th rank in the top container ports present around the globe. 
• The port handles approximately 56 percent of the cargo going through the whole India.
• In 1989, the port was opened and it is privately managed by DP World. 
• Several programs are going by the government to grow more seaports in the Mumbai region. 

Sixth Largest Port in India: Kandla Port

The port is situated in the Kachchh district of the state of Gujarat of India. The major part of the port exports salt and also exports the textile. The port is going through some construction to improve the capacity of the port by the government of India. 

• The port is considered as the greatest hub for the import of natural resources like petroleum and gas. 
• The port handles approximately 123 million of cargo and around 0.18 million of the TEUs. 
• The port is near the special economic zone KASEZ in the Kandla region. This economic zone is the biggest zone across Asia. 

Fifth Largest Port in India: Cochin Port

The Cochin Port is located in the Kochi region of Kerala state in India. The port comes under the largest port of India. The port handles around 35 million tons of cargo. The port is operated by the Cochin Port Authority along with the Dubai Ports World. 

• The port was opened in 1928 on 26^th of May, many years ago. 
• The port is owned by the Ministry of Ports, with Shipping and Waterways and also belongs to the Government of India. 
• The chairman of the Cochin Port is B. Kasiviswanathan. 

Fourth Largest Port in India: Visakhapatnam Port

The port is located in Visakhapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh, India. The port can be found in the Eastern Ghats. The port is known to be the largest harbor in Andhra Pradesh. The port is operated by Visakhapatnam Port Authority. 

• The port handles around 0.45 million of TEUs and about 73 million of the cargo capacity. 
• The port is under construction as the government wants to expand the area of the port. 
• The port was opened in 1933 on 19^th of December. 

Third Largest Port in India: Mundra Port

The port is situated In the Kutch district of Gujarat state of India. The port handles around five million tons of TEUs and around 340 million tons of cargo. Mundra Airport is also under construction, which will be the international airport. 

• Adani Ports manages the Mundra ports with the help of Sez limited.
• The port holds the rank to be the largest importer terminal of coal across the world. 
• The port is well connected with the railways, as it is considered to be the biggest advantage of this port.

Second Largest Port in India: Chennai Port

The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is home to the Chennai Port. This harbor is regarded as one of the biggest and oldest harbors. A large amount of steel is imported through this port and this port also manages cargo about fifty million tons. 

• The port is among India’s oldest, having been founded in 1881.
• In Chennai port is regarded as the foundation of the automotive industry.
• Chennai port has the capacity to hold around 2 million of TUEs and is planning to grow it to approx hundred million. 

Largest Port in India: Mumbai Port

Mumbai Port is the country’s largest port. It’s in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Bombay Port, which goes by another name, is thought to be the port’s natural name. In India, the port of Mumbai is the biggest and one of the oldest.

• This port holds first rank in the busiest port of India, as this port handles around one-fifth of the total export across the country.
• In this port there are three dock facilities, the first one named Prince’s, the second one is Victoria, and the last is Indira. 

People Also Read:

• Top 10 Largest Container Ports in India
• List of Major Indian Seaports
• List of Top 10 Largest Container Ports in the World
• Top 10 Largest Seaports in the World 2024
• Top 10 Busiest Ports in the World

Conclusion – Top 10 Largest Port in India

Water transport has a very important role in the growth of the Indian economy. Ports in India are affordable for the people who import and export a maximum number of goods. Ports are important for domestic as well as international trade in India. The port of India contributes around 4 percent in the GDP of the Indian economy. The import and export of various goods is done through these ports with various big countries. 

FAQs on Top 10 Largest Ports in India

Which is the largest port of India?

Mumbai Port is the biggest port in India in terms of size and shipping traffic.

Which is the smallest port in India?

The smallest port in India is Port Blair located in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Which is the richest port in India?

Kandla Port in Gujarat is the richest port in India depending on the total export and import of products.

Which is the oldest port in India?

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust of Kolkata is the oldest port among the 13 major ports of India. 

Which is the longest port?

Shanghai Port of China is the longest port in the world.

Which is India’s first private port?

Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited, India’s first private sector port.