List of Major Sea Ports In India

• India's coastline is approximately 7516.6 kilometres long, with 200 main and minor ports, constituting one of the world's largest peninsulas. This also covers a list of major Indian seaports. According to figures released by the Ministry of Shipping, marine transport accounts for about 95 percent of India's commerce volume and 70 percent of its trading value. The Indian government intends to modernize these ports via the Sagarmala project.

• India is a busy centre for global imports and exports as one of the world's largest peninsulas. Corporations from all over the globe are looking at India as a possible headquarters for global trade operations since it has so many large ports that assist to maintain India's expanding economy. For port and harbour development and maintenance projects, the government has approved up to 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) via the automatic method. In addition, the National Marine Development Program (NMDP) has been launched to promote the maritime industry, with a US$11.8 billion budget. This also helps in maintaining Indian seaports.

• Before we list down major ports in India that you can visit and explore, it's important to note that the number of major ports in India also have a number of other tourist attractions nearby that you may visit.

List of Major Sea Ports in India

• Kandla Port- Gujarat

The Kandla port in Gujarat is the very first and arguably one of the busiest and largest ports in India. It is also India's most important seaport, and it is around 90 kilometres from Kutch. The name comes from the fact that it is located in Kandla Creek. The port is relatively ancient, having been built in the 1950s following the partition of India and Pakistan. According to the number of goods handled, it is India's largest port. Kandla port was India's first export processing port. Petroleum, steel and iron machinery, chemicals, as well as salt, textiles, and cereals, are among the major imports into Kandla port. The Kandla port is one of India's most profitable seaports, serving as a hub for grain exports and oil imports.

• Nhava Sheva- Maharashtra

It is also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and it is India's largest cargo port. It is located in Maharashtra's Konkan region and is one of the country's busiest ports. It is also known as the king port since it handles a variety of commodities for export and import across the Arabian Sea. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which opened on May 26, 1989, is completely controlled by the Indian government. This port, which is one of India's top 30 ports, handles 56 percent of all cargo. The chairman of the Jawaharlal Nehru port is Shri Anil Diggikar.

Textiles, sporting goods, carpets, textile machines, boneless meat, chemicals pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, machinery, plastics, electrical machinery, vegetable oils, and aluminium and other non-ferrous metals are the main exports and imports from Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

• Mumbai Port:

One of the major ports in India, Mumbai Port is the important one. It is India's most important port. It is a natural harbour with a depth of 10-12 meters. It is responsible for around one-fifth of India's international trade.

The port of Mumbai is one of India's busiest seaports. It is critical to the development of India's economy and commercial relations. The Mumbai port is also known as 'Front Bay,' which means 'India's Gateway. ‘Petroleum products, liquid chemicals, and mineral oil are the port's primary imports, while cotton textiles, leather, tobacco, manganese, equipment, and chemical items are the port's key exports.

• Visakhapatnam Port

The Visakhapatnam port is situated on a picturesque waterway in Andhra Pradesh, between the ports of Chennai and Kolkata. It is one of India's 12 important seaports. On December 19, 1933, Lord Willingdon opened the Rs.378 lakh Visakhapatnam port. Every year, this port handles around 1.2 lakh tonnes of cargo. The outer dock, inner harbour, and fishing harbour are the three main harbours in Visakhapatnam. The port is situated on a stream where the Narava Gedda meets the sea, making for a stunning picture. After an Rs.13 crore investment, the port is expected to become more defined and modernized by 2016-2017.

• Chennai Port

The Chennai port, commonly known as the Madras port, is the country's second-largest port. It is India's third-oldest port, having first opened its doors in 1881. It is Tamil Nadu's main port and the key cause for the state's stability. It is located on the Coromandel Coast in the Bay of Bengal. The Chennai port's cargo throughput grew from 0.5 million tons in 1979-78 to 100 million tonnes in 2015-16; you can only imagine how important it is for Tamil Nadu's economic growth. The harbour is encircled by ancient and contemporary lighthouses, giving it a pleasing appearance. According to reports, the Chennai port would soon increase its processing capacity to 140 million tonnes.

• Port Blair Port- Andaman and Nicobar Island

Port Blair is one of India's newest significant seaports, located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The government designated this port as a major one for its role in propelling India's ports to 13th rank. The Port Blair port is India's newest seaport, and it is connected to the Indian mainland via ship and aeroplane.

• Paradip Port- Orissa

The Paradip port is the largest port in India and is one of the deepwater seaports, located along the coast of Orissa. The port's depth enables it to accommodate both large and bulk cargo. This port mostly handles iron ore and coal. Iron ore is shipped in large quantities to Japan.

The number of exports from this port is always greater than the number of imports. Imports to the Paradip port were 6,991 thousand tonnes in 2003, while exports totalled 16,910 thousand tonnes. This port even has its own train system, which makes transportation convenient. A new oil jetty, capable of handling up to 8 million tonnes of petroleum products and tankers weighing up to 85,000 DWT, has just been built at Paradip.

• Tuticorin Port- Tamil Nadu

Tuticorin Port, one of the Indian seaports, and is a modern port that was recently built in Tamil Nadu. It is a man-made seaport located 8 kilometres south of the ancient Tuticorin port. The port mainly trades with Sri Lanka and is correctly connected by railways and roads. It is also the second-largest port in Tamil Nadu.

It is renowned as the Pearl City and is the greatest place in the Bay of Bengal for pearl fishing. Coal, salt, food grains, edible oil, sugar, and petroleum products are the most common commodities traded. Its depth will be raised to 12.8 meters from the present 10.7 meters, and an outer harbour will be built in the near future.

• Cochin Port- Kerala

The Cochin port, located in Kerala, is one of the largest and fastest-growing seaports in India. The port of Cochin is situated between two islands, Willingdon and Vallarpadam. Its primary exports are tea, coffee, and spices, while its main imports are mineral oil and chemical fertilizers. It is also a shipbuilding centre. Imports always outnumber exports in this port.

• New Mangalore Port- Karnataka

The New Mangalore port, which is located in Karnataka's southern region, is another popular Indian port. It's on the other side of the Gurpur River. The port was initially built on a small scale, with small ships in mind, but that changed during the Fourth Five Year Plan, which improved the port to handle larger ships as well. Its primary exports are tea, coffee, and spices, while its main imports are mineral oil and chemical fertilizers. It is also a shipbuilding centre. Imports always outnumber exports in this port.

• Ennore Port- Chennai

The Ennore port, in Chennai, is located on the Coromandel Coast, is India's 12th largest port. To facilitate transportation, the port has both road and rail connections. It primarily deals with coal transportation, and the Tamil Nadu electricity board required fuel for its operations, which was the primary catalyst for its establishment. The port of Ennore presently handles more than 16 million tonnes of coal each year. It also trades iron ore, petroleum products, and chemicals in addition to coal. The port's future plans include the construction of three multi-purpose berths and five containers.

• Kolkata Port

Kolkata Port, sometimes known as the "Gateway of Eastern India," handles freight from Australia and Southeast Asia. Haldia docks and Kolkata docks are the two dock systems used. It is the world's busiest jute port, as well as a significant exporter of steel, iron ore, copper, leather, tea, and coal. Heavy machinery, paper, fertilizers, chemical goods, and crude oil are all imported.

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