List of 13 Major Ports and Largest Sea Ports in India

9 min readFeb 27, 2024

As we all know, India has 13 main ports at sea and 180 smaller ports that handle huge volumes of traffic. Mumbai Port Trust (previously Bombay Port Trust) is one of India’s biggest natural ports. Furthermore, the various ports across India are crucial to the nation. The largest ports on the sea in India are essential for the country’s economy and keep the country in touch with the rest of the world. In this blog, we’ll examine the largest ports in India for the import and export of goods. Also, we’ll discuss the major ports in India that handle export and import trade. Let’s look at the overview of India’s major ports.

An Overview of Major Ports in India

India has a vast 7500-kilometre coastline and is one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones. This is why trade in the sea has always been a major contributor to Indian trade. Indian economy. Even today, maritime trade makes up 70 per cent of the country’s total trade volume. It is carried out through 13 major ports and minor ports that are scattered all over the Indian mainland and oceanic regions.

As with many of the world’s fast-growing and dynamic economies, India is looking closely at ways to increase as well as expand the ports it has to accommodate growing demand. Problems with capacity and congestion at some of India’s most important ports have led the shipping industry and its customers to appeal to government officials Indian government to expand the industry and build a proper infrastructure for the third-largest economy.

List of 13 Largest Ports in India

India has 13 seaports, and Mumbai Port Trust is one of them. Mumbai Port Trust (previously known as the Bombay Port Trust) is one of India’s largest natural ports.

Here is the list of the major ports in India as well as the largest sea port in India:

Kolkata Port
Paradip Port
Visakhapatnam Port
Kamarajar Port
Chennai Port
Tuticorin Port
Cochin Port
New Mangalore Port
Mormugao Port
Mumbai Port
Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Kandla Port
Port Blair Port

Major Ports of India Complete overview

India has 13 major ports that contribute to the nation’s marine commerce and economy. These largest Ports in India, located strategically situated on each other along the Indian coastline and are able to handle large volumes of freight. Below is a map that shows India’s major ports:

Today, you can explore the largest sea ports in India!

Which are the 13 major ports in India?

India is home to a vast maritime system, including a number of important ports that contribute to India’s economy. Below is a list of the 13 biggest ports in India and categorized by their strengths.

The largest port within India (Chennai port):

Chennai Port, originally Madras Port, is India’s second-largest container port as well as the largest port within the Bay of Bengal.
This artificial port has a long-standing history, beginning in 1881 before becoming the third-oldest port.
Chennai Port ranked third among India’s major ports in 2023, having greater than 1.28 million tonnes of TEUs.
This port is India’s 3rd oldest port, and it is thrilling! It is the Port of Chennai is, which is the largest port on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, is often referred to by its name as being”the Gateway of South India.

2. The largest ports located in India (Kolkata port):

The only port on the river in India. It is famous for its docks with twin docks:
It is the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) located on the eastern bank, as well as the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) on the western bank of the Hooghly River.
It is the most crowded port in India and is a major exporter of copper, iron ore, tea, leather and coal.
Its extensive history and strategic location a key elements in India’s largest ports.
Based on India import and export data, the goods that are imported include heavy machinery paper chemicals, fertilizers and crude oil.
Natural river ports could accommodate vessels as long as 500 feet. The typical port takes 0.6 million TEUs per year, which makes it the fourth largest port in the world.

3. Major Ports in India (Ennore Port):

Kamarajar Port Limited, originally Ennore Port, is located on the Coromandel Coast in Chennai, just 18 km from Chennai Port.
The port was designated significant as per the Indian Ports Act of 1908 in March 1999. It was then established under the name of Ennore Port Limited under the Companies Act of 1956 in October 1999. Kamarajar Port is the only port of its size that has been established as a corporatized company.
It’s also the largest port in India and the first port run by a public corporation.
Kamarajar Port Limited is India’s largest port that has been incorporated in the form of a company.

4. Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Largest container port in India):

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is located in Navi Mumbai. JNPT is India’s biggest container port and handles more than 55% of the country’s total container traffic.
Nhava Sheva, commonly known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port, is the largest port in Maharashtra.
It’s strategically located near Mumbai, and its excellent infrastructure makes it an essential participant in the international market.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port is one of India’s biggest and busiest ports.
Mumbai is an important export and import city with a large population and the necessary infrastructure needed to ease trade.
JNPT is India’s biggest container port, processing greater than 7.14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) by 2023.

5. Largest Ports in India (Kandla Port):

It is the Kandla Port, situated 90 km away from Kutch, which is located 90 km from the Gulf of Kutch, was built in the 1950s to be India’s biggest port in the Kandla Creek region.
This is India’s major ports in terms of revenue and volume of cargo that is handled every year.
The port exports a massive amount of textiles and salt and has a capacity for cargo in the range of 122.5 million metric tonnes as well as 0.17 million TEUs.
This port is going through changes to improve the capacity of handling and the surrounding area.

6. Major Ports in India (Kochi Port):

Cochin Port, also known as Kochi Port, is an important port along the Arabian Water-Laccadive Ocean-Indian Ocean water route that runs through The city of Kochi, Ernakulam district, Kerala and is one of the largest port in India.
In addition, it is the first port for transhipment in India.
It is believed that the Cochin Port is thought to have been established in AD 1341 in the aftermath of the devastating flooding that occurred caused by the Periyar River.
The floods caused the once-harbouring Muziris to be sucked up, which resulted in a new entrance to Cochin. Then, Cochin became a trading hub that attracted lots of international tourists.

7. Largest Ports in India (Port Blair):

Port Blair Trust operates a seaport in Andaman and Nicobar.
The port is situated in the Andaman Sea. It is one of India’s largest ports.
Port Blair Port Trust Port Blair Port Trust runs the port.
In this way, Port Blair becomes India’s 13th largest port and the sole important port located in Andaman, as well as Nicobar. Port Blair is well-known for its stunning beaches, which feature crystal-clear water and white sandy shorelines.
Corbyn’s Cove Beach, which is just a few miles away from the city’s centre, is loved by tourists and locals.

8. Major Ports in India (New Mangalore Port):

New Mangalore Port New Mangalore Port is the West Coast’s deepest harbour.
It is the only major port of Karnataka and the sixth largest port in India.
It is managed through The New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA).
The major ports of India provide services to the Karnataka as well as the Kerala hinterlands to a certain degree.
Alongside iron ore, the port also exports granite, manganese, cashews, and coffee. Imported commodities include petroleum and crude products, LPG lumber logs, wood pulp, as well as other liquid chemicals.

9. The major ports of India (Visakhapatnam Port):

Visakhapatnam Port, often known as Vizag Port, is located in Visakhapatnam City, Andhra Pradesh.
It lies between Chennai as well as Kolkata ports. It is among India’s biggest ports, which makes it a significant port and a major maritime hub.
This port is among the busiest ports in India or the largest port in India. It transports about 60 million metric tons of goods each year.
In addition, Visakhapatnam Port is undergoing major expansions to boost the capacity of handling cargo up to 100 million tonnes in 2025.

10. The biggest port of India (Mumbai Port):

Mumbai Port is regarded as one of India’s biggest ports.
Also referred to by some as being an example of Bombay Port Trust.
It was built by the British in the 17th century. It is approximately 400 square km of India.
It is an unnatural deep-water port located in the Arabian Sea.
The Mumbai port is able to handle all kinds of cargo. This is why it is often referred to as a multi-purpose investment fund.
The port is a major one with 32 berths, as well as a fueling facility.
The port is connected that connect to Central and Western Railways.

11. The largest port located in India (Mormugao port):

Mormugao Port, an major port on India’s West Coast, has been serving the nation’s maritime trade for over 125 years.
It is located in the latitude 15deg25 N and longitude 73deg 47'E and lies between the major ports of New Mangalore and Mumbai.
It was one of the nation’s most important ports in 1964 and has always been a blessing to the nation’s economic development.
Mormugao Port, maintained by the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), currently has 11 berths.

12. The major ports of India (Paradip Port):

Paradip is among the largest sea ports in India and is the sole major port of Odisha.
Biju Patnaik of Odisha, who was then the chief minister, is the one who was credited with inventing Paradip Port.
It lies approximately 210 nautical miles to the south of Kolkata, and the distance is 260 nautical miles to the north of Vishakhapatnam along the eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal.

13. Mundra Port Gujarat (International seaport in India):

Mundra Port maintains its remarkable record, handling more than 4.49 million TEUs by 2023. This will cement its status as the second-largest port in India.
Mundra port is a major advantage. Mundra port has significant advantages over all other ports as it is in close proximity to train lines across India.
Additionally, Mundra Airport is undergoing massive improvements in order to be an international air cargo hub.
The port is able to handle 5 million TEUs as well as 338 million tons of metric tonnes of cargo.

These is the 13 largest sea ports in India, and they are crucial in transporting important commodities such as crude oil, iron ore coal, alumina, as well as pellets. It also handles a large portion of the country’s iron exports, making it a crucial location for commerce and trade.

Wind-Up

In India, sea ports function as import and export hubs transporting product deliveries out of the sea to trucks, rail, river, or even railway transport. The following list of the 13 biggest seaports in India contains information on The International Sea Port in India, the country’s biggest sea port, as well as its main import and export ports.

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