Major Ports in India

Major ports in India have been classified into three categories by the Waterways
Authority of India: major, minor and intermediate ports. Being one of the biggest
peninsulas in the world India coastline covers the area of 7516.6 km. It has 13 major
ports, 200 notified minor and intermediate ports, and all are situated in the nine coastal
Indian State: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa,
Tamil Nadu and Bengal.

Out of 13 major ports of India, 12 are Government run ports and one, Ennore port of
Chennai, is a corporate one, and is located at Coromandel Coast Tamil Nadu along with
private Krishapatnam Port.

Western Coast Eastern Coast

Kandla (child of partition) Kolkata-Haldia (riverine port)
Mumbai (busiest and biggest) Paradip (exports raw iron to Japan)
Jawahar Lal Nehru (fastest growing) Vishakjapatnam (deepest port)
Marmugao (naval base also) Chennai (oldest and artifical)
Mangalore (exports Kudremukh iron-ore) Ennore (most modern-in private hands)
Cochin (natural Harbour) Tuticorin (southernmost )

Kandla Port (Gujarat): Located on the Gulf of Kutch near first special economic
zone in India as well as in Asia. It is the hub for major imports like petroleum, chemicals
and iron. Grains, salts and textiles are exported from this port. It is one or the highest
earning ports in India. Another port situated in Gujarat is Mundra Port that is Indias
largest private port.

Mumbai Port: Situated in the mainland of West Mumbai on the West Cost, this is the
largest among ports in India. With its four Jitters it deals in bulk cargo traffic for handling
Liquid chemicals, Crude and petroleum products. Mumbai Ports International container
traffic is directed to the new and big Nhava Shiva Port.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Maharashtra): Situated at the mainland of Konkan area,

Maharashtra, it is the King Port of Arabian Sea at the West coast that handles a large
volume of International container traffic and domestic cargo traffic. This ports major
exports include machinery, vegetable oils and chemical. It is the largest container port
among major ports in India. Formerly it was known as Nhava-Sheva Port.
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Mormugoa Port (Goa): Situated in South Goa it is the main port of Goa. It holds the
position or one of the leading iron ores and raw materials exporter in India. Alongwith
the beautiful city of Vasco da Gama and International Airport Dabolin Mormugoa Port is
one of the major attractions of Goa. As the natural harbour of Goa it holds the distinction
of being one of Indias earliest modern ports.

Panambur Port (Karnataka): Situated near SurathKal railway station in Dakshine

Kannada district of Karnataka, This Port is known as the New Mangalore Port. It is a
deep water all weather port. Major commodities like manganese, granite stones, coffee
and cashew are exported from here and the main imports comprise timber logs, LPG,
petroleum products and cargo containers.

Cochin Port (Kerala): The Cochin Port, the major port on the Arabian Sea and the
Indian Ocean Sea route, is situated on two islands of Willingdon and Vallarpadam. This
port has the largest container transshipman facility in India. The port is equipped with
maritime facilities such as Cochin Refineries and Kochi Marina. For its traditional spices
Kochi is famous all over the world.

Haldia Port (West Bengal): Located near the Hooghly River of West Bengal Calcutta or
Haldia Port is a very important trade center for Kolkata, which gets bulk cargoes of
chemicals, petrochemicals and oils. This port also functions as a base of Indian Coast
Guard.

Paradip Port (Orissa): situated at the conjecture of river Mahanandi and the Bay of
Bengal the Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa, Paradip Port is a deep water artificial port of
East Coast. Though a national highway connects the port with the Indian road networks,
it has its own railway system and cold handling part.

Vizag Port (Andhra Pradesh): Vizag or the port city of Visakhapatnam, one of the
Indias largest port and the oldest shipyard, is established on the southeast coast of India
in Andhra Pradesh. It is the only natural harbour in the Bay of Bengal. Vizag is situated
among the great hills of Estern Ghats. Krishnapatnam port is a privately built deep water
port in Andhra Pradesh.

Chennai Port: The largest port in the Bay of Bengal and the second largest port in the
country, Chennai port handle automobiles, a variety of cargo containers, coal terminals
comprise of lighthouses, Intra port connectivity, Pipelines and railway terminus.

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Tuticorin Port (Tamil Nadu): One of the largest container terminal in India, the
artificial deep-sea port of Tuticorin is a all-weather port that gets a large volume of
International traffic. It is a best port for maritime trade and pearl fishery on the Bay of
Bengal.

Ennore (most modern-in private hands): Ennore port of Chennai, is a corporate one,
and is located at Coromandel Coast Tamil Nadu along with private Krishapatnam Port.

Port Blair (Andaman): Situated at the Juncture of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea,
Port Blair, the youngest sea port among ports in India, is the capital city of Andaman
Nicobar Islands. This Island port is connected to Indian mainland through flight and ship.
This port is the principal hub for shipping in Andaman Islands. It is known for its scuba
diving, water sports and virgin beaches.

Few Facts about some port:-

Among major ports, Mumbai is the biggest.

Kandla is a tidal port.

Marmugao enjoys the second position by value of the tonnage of the bulk of which is
export of Iron core.

Vishakhapatnam is the deepest land-locked and protected port.

Chennai has an artificial harbour, Kolkata is a riverine port,

Haldia has a fully equipped containerised berth.