List of Major Indian Seaports

India has 13 major seaports (12 public and one private), together with more than 180 smaller ports that move a sizable amount of cargo. The Mumbai Port Trust, formerly known as the Bombay Port Trust, is responsible for running one of India’s most well-known natural ports. India has 12 government-owned, important ports, six of which are on the country’s western coast and six of which are on its eastern coast. Ennore in Tamil Nadu, Haldia and Kolkata in West Bengal, Kandla in Gujarat, Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru in Maharashtra, Mangalore in Karnataka, Marmagoa in Goa, Paradip in Odisha, Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Kochi in Kerala are the 13 main ports in India.

Major Seaports of India

The nine coastal states of India—Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu—are home to all of the country’s ports. India’s extensive coastline is one of the largest pieces of land that protrudes into a body of water. The nation’s thirteen largest ports handle a substantial amount of container and cargo traffic. The ports of Mumbai, Kandla, Mangalore, JNPT, Mormugao, and Cochin are located on the west coast. The ports in Chennai, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, Kolkata, and Ennore are located on the east coast. The government owns a 68% share in Ennore, the final corporation, which is registered as a public business. Port Blair can be found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The biggest natural port is in Mumbai.

Major Seaports of India

List of Major Seaports of India

Name of a Port	Location	Significance	Major Exports
Kochi Port	Kerala	1. Second-largest natural seaport in India 2. A major center for shipbuilding	Spices, Tea, and Coffee
Ennore Port	Tamil Nadu	India’s first corporatized port	Iron ore, Petroleum, Coal, and Chemicals
Haldia port	West Bengal	It was established to share the export work with Kolkata Port and relieve some pressure from Kolkata Port	Jute, Steel, Iron ore
Kolkata Port	West Bengal	It is the only riverine major port in India	Jute, Iron ore, Tea, Coal, Steel
Kandla Port	Kutch, Gujarat	1. It is known as the Tidal port 2. It is a harbour used to relieve the pressure on Mumbai Port	Textile, Manganese, Machinery, Leather, Chemical product
Mangalore Port	Karnataka	It is deep water and an all-weather port.  the only major port in Karnataka	Iron ore
Mormugao Port	Vasco da Gama, Goa	1. It is a natural harbor. 2. It is located in the estuaries of River zuari in Goa. It is the harbour	Iron ore
Mumbai Port	Maharashtra	1. It is the largest natural port and the busiest port in India. 2.  It consists of three docks, namely, Prince’s Dock, Victoria Dock, and Indira Dock	Textile, Manganese, Machinery, Leather, Chemical products
Jawaharlal Nehru port	Maharashtra	1. It is located on the Eastern shore of Mumbai 2. It is the largest artificial port and the largest container port in India and it is also called Nhava Sheva.	Textile, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Carpets
Paradip Port	Odisha	1. It is located at the junction point of the Mahanadi river and the Bay of Bengal.  2. It is the first major port after the Independence	Iron ore, Iron, and Aluminium
Tuticorin Port	Tamil Nadu	It is located in the Gulf of Mannar. It is an artificial port and it is famous for pearl fishery.	Salt, Fertilizer, Petroleum, Coal
Vishakhapatnam Port	Andhra Pradesh	1. It is located between Chennai port and Kolkata Port. 2. It is the second-largest port by volume of cargo handled and it is a natural harbor.	Coal, Alumina, Oil
Chennai Port	Tamil Nadu	1. The largest port on the eastern coast of India. 2. It is an artificial port.	Rice, Textile, Leather, goods,

Government Programs for the Port Sector

Following are some of the initiatives taken by the Indian Government for the development of the port sector:

• The Union Budget 2021 allocates funds for the development of shipping and inland waterways infrastructure as well as an amount of ₹2,000  crores for PPP models in all major ports, drawing on the government’s Blue Economy program.
• Created in India The Ministry of Shipping modified the rules for Right of First Refusal (ROFR) license criteria in accordance with this effort. Priority is given to chartering ships that were built in India, have an Indian flag, and are owned by Indians.
• The National Logistics Portal (Marine) will be created to support service providers, importers, and exporters.
• A dispute resolution platform called SAROD-Ports (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports) was created by the Ministry of Shipping for use by business players.
• The Major Port Authorities Bill 2020, which seeks to repeal the Major Ports Trust Act of 1963, has been approved by Parliament. For each large port, a Board of large Port Authority will be established.

FAQs on Major Indian Seaports

1. How many major seaports does India have?

Answer:

There are 13 major ports in India: Kochi port, Ennore port, Haldia port, Kolkata port, Kandla port, Mangalore port, Mormugao port, Mumbai port, Jawaharlal Nehru port, Paradip port, Tuticorin port, Vishakhapatnam port, and Chennai port.

2. Which port in India is the oldest?

Answer:

The oldest of India’s 13 main ports is located in Kolkata and is owned by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust. In 1870, it was commissioned.

3. Which port in India is the newest?

Answer:

Port Blair is the youngest port of India. It was established in 2010, making it India’s newest significant port. The port is important strategically for India because it is much closer to international transportation routes like Saudi Arabia-Singapore and US-Singapore.

4. Which port in India is the largest?

Answer:

India’s largest port in terms of both size and shipping volume is Mumbai Port. It is located in a natural harbor in west Mumbai, on India’s west coast.

5. Which Indian port is the deepest?

Answer:

Port of Krishnapatnam is the deepest Indian port. With a draft of 18.5 meters, Krishnapatnam harbor is regarded as India’s deepest harbor. Furthermore, the harbor of Paradip is not the deepest harbor. On the eastern coast of India, at Paradip, there is a deep-water natural port. Only 53 kilometers (33 mi) separate it from Jagatsinghpur city.