In India, ports are categorised into major ports and non-major ports (informally called minor ports). As of 2024, there are 13 major ports and 217 non-major ports across the country. Major ports are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of the Government of India, while non-major ports fall under the jurisdiction of State Maritime Boards of respective state governments—this also includes private ports running under the public–private partnership (PPP) model. Among the 217 non-major ports, cargo is handled only at 68 ports, others are used by fishing vessels and ferries. [1] India has a coastline of 7517 kilometres, forming one of the largest peninsulas in the world. According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, around 95 percent of India's trading by volume and 70 percent by value is done through maritime transport. India's major ports handled highest ever cargo of 795 million tonne in FY23. [2]
Port Blair which was notified as major port in 2010 was removed later. The ports are spread across Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. [3] Government of India plans to build new greenfield ports and also built associated infrastructure such as railway lines through the 2015 established Sagar Mala project, [4] and National Maritime Development Program. [5]
According to Constitution of India, 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 departments or ministries in the nine coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Several of these 187 minor and intermediate ports have been identified by the respective governments to be developed, in a phased manner, a good proportion of them involving public–private partnership.
The maritime boards of state governments administer control of minor ports owned by state governments. In 2018–19, minor ports of Gujarat alone handled total 542 MMT of cargo. [6] Maharashtra Maritime Board sets record of handling 71 mn tons of cargo in 2022–23. [7]
The capacity of Indian ports currently stands at 2,604.99 mtpa. [8] The container throughput of Indian ports stood at 17 million TEUs for the period 2020. [9]
India has been building large ships after the independence using public sector companies like Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers estb in 1884, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Hindustan Shipyard, Goa Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard. SS Jala Usha, a steamship built by Hindustan Shipyard in 1948 and the first of its kind to be built within the Indian subcontinent after WW-II.The first oil tanker built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) was the MV Rani Padmini, which was delivered in July 1981. [10] India launched 93,000 DWT oil tanker in 2002 under Third Vajpayee ministry, The ship named Maharshi Parashuram built by Cochin Shipyard was 237 meter long double vessel was fitted with 14,300 HP engine. [11] Abul Kalam Azad is another similar-size oil tanker ship built by Cochin Shipyard in 1999 which has been scrapped. [12]
As of January 2020 [update] , India has 30% share of ship breaking with annual US$1.1 billion revenue. India is a signatory to Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. India plans to pass the "Recycling of Ships Act, 2019" to ratify the Hong Kong treaty. This will allow India to capture its targeted 60% in the global ship breaking business while doubling the annual to US$2.3 billion target. [13] India's Alang-Sosiya Ship Breaking Yard is world's largest ships' graveyard. [13] Other ship graveyards in India is the Steel Industrials Kerala Limited breaking unit. [14]
The port's under central Government of india are known as Major port and other ports in India are classified as minor ports.The following are the major ports of India: [15] [16]
No. | Name | Estb. Year | Image | Area(km^2) | City | State | Cargo handled in MTPA (FY2022-23) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chennai Port | 1881 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 51.88 | ||
2 | Cochin Port | 1928 | Kochi | Kerala | 37.34 | ||
3 | Deendayal Port | 1965 | 900.83km2 [17] | Kandla | Gujarat | 129.10 [18] | |
4 | Jawaharlal Nehru Port | 1988 | 33.7 km2 | Navi Mumbai | Maharashtra | 78.06 | |
5 | Kamarajar Port | 2001 | Ennore | Tamil Nadu | 11.08 | ||
6 | Mormugao Port | 1985 | Mormugao | Goa | 19.5 | ||
7 | Mumbai Port | 1873 | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 62.08 | ||
8 | New Mangalore Port | 1974 | 8.22 km2 | Mangaluru | Karnataka | 36.65 | |
9 | Paradip Port | 1966 | 25.44 km2 | Paradeep | Odisha | 148.75 [19] | |
10 | Kolkata Port Trust | 1977 | 25.77 km2 | Haldia | West Bengal | 107.77 | |
11 | Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port | 1870 | Kolkata | West Bengal | 66.4 | ||
12 | Visakhapatnam Port | 1933 | Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | 67.43 | ||
13 | V. O. Chidambaranar Port | 1974 | 2.428 km2 | Thoothukkudi | Tamil Nadu | 52.33 |
G. K. Vasan is an Indian Politician and son of G. K Moopanar, a veteran Indian National Congress Leader. G K Vasan is currently the president of Tamil Maanila Congress (M), a political party in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was a member of Rajya Sabha, an upper house of Indian Parliament from the year 2002 until 2014. During his tenure as a Member of Indian Parliament, he had functioned in several positions in the Union Government under UPA 1 & UPA II regime including as a Minister of State for Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation from Jan 2006 – May 2009; Union Minister of Shipping from May 2009 – May 2014 and as an In-charge Minister for Labour from January 2014 - April 2014.
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) is the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India. It is part of a line of maritime-related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Of the services provided by the shipyard are building platform supply vessels and double-hulled oil tankers. It built the first indigenous aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, the INS Vikrant. The company has Miniratna status.
The economy of Kochi was worth 49453.29 crores in 2012 - 2013 financial year with a growth of almost 7.5% per annum.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) is an Indian multinational port operator and logistics company, part of Adani Group. APSEZ is India's largest private port operator with a network of 12 ports and terminals, including India's first port-based SEZ at Mundra and the first deep water transshipment port at Thiruvananthapuram. The company has attracted controversies for cronyism, alleged stock manipulation and violation of environmental norms.
Rewas(Rewas-Bodani or Revas) is one of 48 “minor” ports of Maharashtra located at Rewas Creek, near Karanja creek at mouth of the Patalganga River about 10 kilometres (6 mi) southward of Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south-east of Mumbai Port. It is controlled by the state government through an agency known as the “Maharashtra Maritime Board”.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the Indian ministry responsible for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to ports, shipping and waterways. The minister is Sarbananda Sonowal.
The Kattupalli Shipyard, officially Adani Katupalli Port Private Limited, is a large shipyard project at Kattupalli village near Ennore in Chennai, being built by L&T Shipbuilding Ltd. It is being set up jointly by TIDCO and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in two phases. L&T shipbuilding Kattupalli is a minor port. Adani ports and special economic zone (APSEZ) acquired Kattupalli Port from L&T in June 2018 and renamed it as Adani Katupalli Port Private Limited (AKPPL).
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The Maharashtra Maritime Board is governmental organisation in the state of Maharashtra, India. The board is tasked with the administration of ports and harbours, conservancy, licensing of crafts, levying of fees, regulation and control of traffic. Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) came into existence in 1996 and Commissioner, Water Transport was re-designated as chief executive officer, MMB.
The Samarth-class offshore patrol vessel are a series of eleven offshore patrol vessels being built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard. The construction of Samarth class was motivated by a desire to triple the Coast Guard assets in the aftermath of 2008 Mumbai attacks. They are an improvement over the earlier Sankalp class, with a larger beam and more powerful engines. The ships are being constructed in two batches—a batch of six ordered in May 2012 that was completed in December 2017 and a follow-on batch of five ordered in August 2016.
Kollam Port or Port of Quilon is one of the oldest ports situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from Downtown Kollam It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities and one of the four Kerala ports having immigration checkpoint (ICP) facility. Located on the south-west coast of India, it was an important port from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. Kollam was one of the five Indian ports visited by Ibn Battuta.
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The South Indian state of Kerala has a coastline of around 590 km. The state is home to a major port operated by Cochin Port Authority & DP World and owned by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways under Government of India and other 19 non major ports including Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram, India's first and only deep water automatic transshipment port.In India the ports under central government is classified as Major Ports and other Ports are classified as non major Port
Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited is a shipyard at Howrah, India. The company has two units located at Salkia and Nazirganj on the bank of River Hooghly in the city of Howrah. It manufactures various types of vessels, dredgers, floating drydock, oil pollution control vessels, passenger vessels, etc.
INS Sutlej (J17) is a hydrographic survey ship of the Sandhayak class in the Indian Navy, under the Southern Naval Command. Like other ships of the same class, this ship is also equipped with an Operating Theater and associated equipment needed to attend to medical emergencies at sea.
Water transport in India has played a significant role in the country's economy and is indispensable to foreign trade. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long coastline accessible through the seas and oceans. It has the largest carrying capacity of any form of transport and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances.
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