India has a coastline of about 7,500 km and handles around 90 percent of its foreign trade by volume through sea. The country has 13 major ports managed mainly by the central government, plus many minor and intermediate ports run by states. Port names, their coasts and states are common one-mark questions.
Ports on the West Coast
- Kandla (Deendayal) Port - Gujarat; a tidal port and major for the northern hinterland.
- Mumbai Port - Maharashtra; the largest natural harbour and busiest historic port.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT / Nhava Sheva) - Maharashtra; India's largest container port.
- Mormugao - Goa; known for iron-ore export.
- New Mangalore - Karnataka; and Cochin - Kerala.
Ports on the East Coast
- Kolkata-Haldia - West Bengal; the only major riverine port.
- Paradip - Odisha.
- Visakhapatnam - Andhra Pradesh; the deepest landlocked port.
- Chennai - Tamil Nadu; one of the oldest artificial ports.
- Ennore (Kamarajar) - Tamil Nadu; India's first corporatised major port.
- Tuticorin (V. O. Chidambaranar) - Tamil Nadu.
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Important Facts About Ports
- Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was added as a major port.
- JNPT handles the highest container traffic in India.
- Mumbai Port is the largest in terms of historical cargo handling and natural harbour.
- Visakhapatnam is the deepest major port.
- Kolkata is a tidal and riverine port, needing constant dredging.
Quick Revision Points
- India has 13 major ports.
- About 90 percent of foreign trade by volume is by sea.
- JNPT (Nhava Sheva) = largest container port.
- Kandla = tidal port in Gujarat.
- Visakhapatnam = deepest port, on the east coast.
- Kolkata-Haldia = only major riverine port.
- Mumbai = largest natural harbour.