India has a coastline of 7,517 km, served by 13 major ports (government-controlled) and 200+ minor/intermediate ports (state government/private). Major ports handle ~55% of India’s total cargo traffic (~1,300 million tonnes annually).
Major Ports of India
West Coast Ports
| Port |
State |
River/Sea |
Cargo (MT/y) |
Specialization |
| Kandla (Deendayal) |
Gujarat |
Gulf of Kutch |
130 |
Grain, crude, chemicals; free-trade zone |
| Mumbai |
Maharashtra |
Arabian Sea |
62 |
Largest natural harbor; containers, crude |
| JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru) |
Maharashtra |
Arabian Sea |
80 |
Largest container port (~55% of container traffic) |
| Marmugao |
Goa |
Zuari River |
18 |
Iron ore exports (declining due to mining ban) |
| New Mangalore |
Karnataka |
Netravati River |
43 |
Crude (MRPL refinery), iron ore, coffee |
| Kochi |
Kerala |
Backwaters |
35 |
Containers (Vallarpadam ICTT), spices, tea |
East Coast Ports
| Port |
State |
River/Sea |
Cargo (MT/y) |
Specialization |
| Kolkata-Haldia |
West Bengal |
Hooghly River |
65 |
Jute, tea, coal, steel; tidal restrictions for large ships |
| Paradip |
Odisha |
Mahanadi Delta |
140 |
Largest by tonnage (East Coast); iron ore, coal, crude |
| Visakhapatnam |
Andhra Pradesh |
Bay of Bengal |
75 |
Largest by volume (East Coast); iron ore, steel, crude |
| Chennai |
Tamil Nadu |
Bay of Bengal |
65 |
Containers, automobiles, general cargo |
| Tuticorin (V.O. Chidambaranar) |
Tamil Nadu |
Gulf of Mannar |
35 |
Coal, salt, edible oil, sugar |
| Ennore (Kamarajar) |
Tamil Nadu |
Bay of Bengal |
40 |
Coal (thermal plants), iron ore, containers |
| Cuddalore |
Tamil Nadu |
Bay of Bengal |
5 (minor) |
Part of Chennai cluster |
Cargo Composition
| Commodity |
Share |
Details |
| Crude & petroleum products |
35% |
Import of crude, export of refined products |
| Coal |
20% |
Thermal coal imports for power plants |
| Containers |
15% |
Manufactured goods, electronics, RMG |
| Iron ore |
8% |
Exports to China, Japan |
| Fertilizers |
6% |
Import of phosphatic/potassic fertilizers |
| Edible oils |
3% |
Imports from Malaysia, Indonesia |
| Others |
13% |
Steel, cement, food grains, chemicals |
Major Port Trusts (Under Ministry of Ports)
- All 13 major ports are governed by the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (replaced old MPT Act, 1963)
- Each governed by a Port Authority (Board of Trustees)
- Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP): Regulates port tariffs
Minor Ports — Private Sector
| State |
Minor Ports |
Key Private Ports |
| Gujarat |
45+ |
Mundra (Adani Ports) — largest private port in India (~160 MT); Pipavav, Hazira, Dahej |
| Maharashtra |
50+ |
Dighi, Jaigarh (now private) |
| Odisha |
10+ |
Gopalpur (private), Dhamra (Adani) — 30 MT capacity |
| Tamil Nadu |
20+ |
Kattupalli, Karaikal |
| Andhra Pradesh |
10+ |
Gangavaram (private), Krishnapatnam |
| Kerala |
15+ |
Vizhinjam (deepwater transshipment; under construction — expected 2025) |
Mundra Port (Gujarat)
India’s largest commercial port (public + private):
- Operated by Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. (APSEZ)
- Capacity: 200+ million tonnes
- Handles: containers, crude, coal, iron ore, chemicals
- Connected to Mundra-Mumbai pipeline (crude); Mundra-Delhi national highway
- Special Economic Zone (SEZ) adjoining the port
Sagarmala Programme (2015)
National flagship programme to harness India’s coastline:
| Component |
Description |
| Port Modernization |
Upgrading existing ports; developing new ones |
| Port Connectivity |
Last-mile road/rail/waterway connectivity |
| Port-led Industrialization |
EOUs, SEZs, coastal economic zones (CEZs) |
| Coastal Community Development |
Skill development, tourism, fisheries |
| Investment |
₹8,00,000 crore (planned) across 600+ projects |
| Target |
Reduce logistics cost by 10-12%; 40% reduction by 2035 |
Transshipment and Deepwater Ports
- Vizhinjam International (Kerala): Deepwater (18-20 m natural depth); being built by Adani Ports for ₹7,525 crore (PPP)
- Significance: 75% of India’s container transshipment occurs at Colombo, Singapore, Klang — Vizhinjam aims to capture this
- Operational target: 2025 (first phase); capacity: 1 million TEUs initially, expanding to 6.2 million TEUs
Challenges
| Challenge |
Impact |
| Deep draught |
Only 6 ports can handle >14 m draft; large vessels (>12,000 TEU) go to Colombo/Singapore |
| Turnaround time |
Average: 48-72 hours (vs. 6-12 hours at Singapore/Shanghai) |
| Port connectivity |
Only 10% of major ports have dedicated rail freight corridors |
| Inter-port competition |
Minor ports (private) growing faster; major ports losing market share |
| Coastal shipping underutilized |
Only 7% of freight moves by coastal shipping (vs. 25% in EU) |
| Digitization |
Port Community Systems (PCS1x) implementation uneven across ports |
| Environmental compliance |
Dredging, pollution from coal handling, ballast water management norms |
Important Maritime Routes
| Route |
Commodity |
Destination |
| India-Middle East |
Crude (import), refined products (export) |
UAE, Saudi Arabia |
| India-ASEAN |
Coal, palm oil, electronics |
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore |
| India-Europe |
Containers (textiles, leather, engineering) |
Rotterdam, Felixstowe |
| India-East Asia |
Iron ore, steel, chemicals |
China, Japan, South Korea |
| India-Africa |
Refined products, pharma, vehicles |
Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania |
| India-US |
Containers (gems, pharma, textiles, IT) |
New York/Newark, Long Beach |
