Ports in India

Mumbai	Natural harbor & biggest port of India (Gateway of India) Handles approx. 1/5^th of India’s foreign trade
Nava Seva	Jawalar Lal Port (Highly Mechanized Port), Mumbai
Chennai	Oldest artificial harbor on east coast & 2^nd largest port in terms of volume of traffic
Ennore	1^st corporate port (To release pressure on Chennai port)
Tuticorin (TN)	On Eastern coast of India
Kandla	Tidal Port (To release pressure on Mumbai port, developed after partition of India), Gujarat

Kochi	A natural harbor
Vishakhapatnam	Deepest artificial harbor on east coast
Kolkata	Riverine Port (Handles goods coming from SE Asian countries Australia & New Zealand)
Haldia	Developed on river Hooghly to relieve pressure on Kolkata port
Paradip	Located on Orissa coast.
Mormugao	In Goa (5^th in total traffic handled)
New Mangalore	On New Mangalore

Ennore – 1^st corporate port (To release pressure on Chennai port)
Indian Ports – 95 % by volume & 70 % by value – India’s international trade
In monsoon, all western ports except Mumbai, Cochin & Kandila are closed (12 Major & 1 Minor Port)

Maritime transport is to be administered by both the Central and the State governments.

While the central government’s shipping ministry administers the major ports, the minor and intermediate ports are administered by the relevant state gov. of coastal states.

All major ports, except one Ennore Port are government administered. It is the first port in India which is a public company

📌 Strategic Importance

Gateway to International Trade
Crucial for import/export of oil, iron ore, coal, fertilizer, containers
Supports Make in India, Sagarmala Project, and Blue Economy

✅ 5 Key Points on Ports in India:

India has 13 major ports (12 operational + 1 under construction) and 200+ minor ports, forming the backbone of its maritime trade.
Kandla Port (Deendayal Port) in Gujarat is the largest in cargo volume, while JNPT (Navi Mumbai) is the largest container port.
Ports on the western coast (like Mumbai, Mormugao) are natural harbors, while those on the eastern coast (like Chennai, Visakhapatnam) are mostly artificial.
Ports are central to foreign trade, as over 90% of India’s trade by volume is sea-borne.
India’s Sagarmala Project aims to modernize ports, improve connectivity, and boost port-led development.

🌊 Major Ports in India (By Coastline)

Port Name	Location (State)	Coastline	Notable For
Kandla (Deendayal)	Gujarat	Western	Largest cargo handling port
Mumbai Port	Maharashtra	Western	Natural deep-water port
Jawaharlal Nehru (JNPT)	Maharashtra	Western	Largest container port
Mormugao	Goa	Western	Iron ore exports
New Mangalore	Karnataka	Western	Fertilizer, petroleum
Cochin (Kochi)	Kerala	Western	Oil & container terminal
Chennai Port	Tamil Nadu	Eastern	Oldest artificial port
Ennore (Kamarajar)	Tamil Nadu	Eastern	Corporate port under GoI
Tuticorin (V.O.C.)	Tamil Nadu	Eastern	General cargo & coal
Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh	Eastern	Deepest port in India
Paradip Port	Odisha	Eastern	Coal and iron ore
Haldia	West Bengal	Eastern	Serves Kolkata Port
Kolkata Port	West Bengal	Eastern	Inland river port, oldest in India

Holistically compiled series to facilitate preparation – https://amzn.to/3JT43tz

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