List of Major Ports in India [Updated 2020]

Around 95% of the trading (by volume) and 70% of the trading (by value) is done by maritime transport as per the Ministry of shipping. There are 12 Major seaports in India in which 11 are government-owned and one is private. These posts are governed by the central government whereas the minor and intermediate ports are governed by the state governments. There are 187 nonmajor ports in India governed by nine coastal states i.e.  Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Port Blair which was identified as a major Seaport in 2010 has been removed from the list. In today’s article, I will talk about some major seaports in India followed by the complete list of 12 major seaports operated in India.

Kandla Port Trust or Deen Dayal Port Trust-Gujarat

Kandla port is known as the very first and probably the busiest of all the ports in India.  It is located in Kandla Creek, Gujarat. It is also considered as the richest seaport in India. The other name of Kandla Port is Deen Dayala Port Trust and it is located about 90 kilometers from Kutch. The port is one of the oldest constructed ports in India i.e.1950s. It was constructed soon after the India and Pakistan partition. Steel, iron machinery, petroleum, salt, textiles, grains, chemicals, etc. are some of the common goods that are transported through this port.

Nhava Sheva or Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Maharashtra

Nhava Sheva is also often referred to as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port and is the largest container port in India. It is located in Konkan, Maharashtra and is known to be one of the busiest ports across the nation. This port was built in the year 1989. It is also often referred to as the king port across the Arabian Sea and is responsible for handling several goods for export and import. It is responsible for handling 56% of the total containers. Jawaharlal Nehru Port was ranked 28th among 100 major seaports in the world. Textiles, carpets, boneless meat, machinery, vegetable oils and chemicals, etc. are some of the common goods that are transported via this port. It is also known for crossing the historic landmark of 4 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent units) in containers for the last five years.

Mumbai Port-Maharashtra

Mumbai Port is possibly the largest sea port by size and traffic in India. This port is responsible for taking care of around 1/5th of India’s total foreign exports. It is mainly responsible for handling trade along with the western countries and the east African countries. Mumbai port which was formerly called as the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) is an autonomous corporation wholly owned by the Government of India. Bombay Port Trust (BPT) was established on June 26, 1873.Dry cargo and mineral oil from the Gulf countries are some of the common goods that are transported via Mumbai port.

Visakhapatnam Port, Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam Port is one of the most prominent ports in south India. The port was inaugurated by Lord Willingdon on December 19, 1933. The present Chairman of the port is Shri M.T.Krishna Babu. It has a very picturesque view of the creek surrounding it, making visiting the post-experience in itself. If you go by the Annual tonnage of the port it handled around 65.30 million tonnes for the year 2018-19  which is a pretty impressive number. It is also subdivided into three harbors – the outer, inner and the fishing harbor. Iron ore, alumina, oil and pellets, etc. are some of the common goods that are transported via this port

List of Major Sea Ports in India

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