Static GK

Major Ports of India

13 notified major ports (12 operational + Galathea Bay). Key distinctions, legal framework, cargo rankings, Sagarmala 2.0, and exam traps. Updated to April 2026.

Current count: 13 notified major ports — 12 operational + Galathea Bay (notified Sep 2024, under development). Vadhavan Port is under construction but not yet formally notified as a major port (it is a JNPA-led project). The "12 major ports" figure from standard textbooks is now outdated. Legal basis: Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (governs 12 operational ports); Indian Ports Act, 2025 (governs non-major ports and creates Maritime State Development Council). Total cargo by all major ports in FY 2024-25: 855 million tonnes (4.3% growth, record).

📈 Evolution of Major Port Count

YearCountKey Event
Long-standing12Stable figure for decades — the 12 traditional major ports
June 201013Port Blair (Andaman) declared 13th major port
201712Port Blair's major port status removed (insufficient container traffic, operationally unviable)
September 202413Galathea Bay (Great Nicobar) notified as 13th major port
Vadhavan note: Vadhavan (Maharashtra) is a major greenfield port project under JNPA's oversight with Cabinet approval (June 2024) and PM Modi groundbreaking (August 2024). It is under construction and not yet formally notified as a major port as of April 2026. Phase 1 target: 2029.

🌊 West Coast Ports (6 operational)

# Port State Est. (Major Port) Key Notes
1 Deendayal Port
(formerly Kandla)		 Gujarat 1955 Declared major port 8 April 1955 by Lal Bahadur Shastri (then Transport Minister). Renamed after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay on 25 September 2017. Tidal port on Gulf of Kutch. Largest major port by cargo — 150+ MMT in FY 2024-25.
2 Mumbai Port Maharashtra 1873 Established 1873. Natural harbour. India's premier port historically; major hub for passenger and cargo traffic.
3 JNPA
(Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority / Nhava Sheva)		 Maharashtra 1989 Commissioned 1989. India's largest container port — 7.30 million TEUs in FY 2024-25 (record, +13.55% YoY). 53.93% of all major-port container traffic. Also oversees Vadhavan construction. Located south of Mumbai across Thane Creek.
4 Mormugao Port Goa 1964 Natural harbour. Current site operational since 1885. Declared major port 1964. Known for iron ore exports.
5 New Mangalore Port Karnataka 1974 Declared 9th major port on 4 May 1974. Formally inaugurated by PM Indira Gandhi on 11 January 1975.
6 Cochin (Kochi) Port Kerala 1936 Natural harbour — formed naturally in 1341 AD when the Periyar River flooded. Brought under Major Port Trusts Act on 1 August 1936. Nearest major port to the Suez Canal route (~76 nautical miles). Houses ICTT Vallarpadam, India's largest container transshipment terminal.
Upcoming — Vadhavan Port (Maharashtra): India's first offshore port (built on an artificial island). Cabinet approval 19 June 2024 (cost: ₹76,220 crore). PM Modi groundbreaking 30 August 2024. Planned depth: 20 m (deepest). Package 1A bids (₹17,709 crore) invited August 2025. Phase 1 target: 2029. Not yet notified as a major port.

🌊 East Coast Ports (6 operational)

# Port State Est. (Major Port) Key Notes
7 Chennai Port Tamil Nadu 1881 Oldest artificial harbour on India's east coast. Operations began 1881. All-weather port with wet docks. Major automobile export hub.
8 V.O. Chidambaranar Port
(formerly Tuticorin)		 Tamil Nadu 1974 Declared 10th major port on 11 July 1974. Renamed after freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar. Handles salt, fertilisers, and thermal coal.
9 Kamarajar Port
(formerly Ennore)		 Tamil Nadu 1999/2001 Declared major port March 1999. Only corporatised major port in India — incorporated as a company under Companies Act, not a statutory authority. Commercial operations began 22 June 2001. Located 18 km north of Chennai. Implementing agency for Galathea Bay (ICTP) project.
10 Visakhapatnam Port
(Vizag)		 Andhra Pradesh 1964 Port opened 7 October 1933; notified as major port 1964. Deepest port among the 12 operational major ports — natural depth 16.5 metres. India's deepest landlocked and protected harbour.
11 Paradip Port Odisha 1966 Foundation stone by PM Nehru on 3 January 1962. Declared major port 18 April 1966 (8th major port). First major port on East Coast commissioned after Independence. Crossed 150 MMT in FY 2024-25.
12 Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port
(Kolkata + Haldia)		 West Bengal 1870 Oldest major port in India — established 1870. Only riverine major port — on the Hooghly River (distributary of Ganga), 203 km from the sea. Two dock systems: Kolkata Dock (on Hooghly) + Haldia Dock Complex (opened 1977). Renamed Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port on 12 January 2020 (150th year).

🏝️ Andaman & Nicobar Islands (1 notified, under development)

# Port Location Status Key Notes
13 Galathea Bay ICTP
(International Container Transshipment Port)		 Great Nicobar Island, A&N UT Notified Sep 2024; pre-construction Notified as 13th major port in September 2024. Located on Great Nicobar Island, ~40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait. Cost: ~₹44,000 crore. Implementation: Kamarajar Port Ltd. Stage 1 forest clearance obtained. DPR finalised. Tenders for Phase 1 expected shortly. Phase 1 target: 2028 (4 million TEU capacity). Full capacity: 16 million TEUs by 2058.

📊 Distribution Summary

Coast / RegionOperational PortsStates/UTs Covered
West Coast 6 Gujarat (1), Maharashtra (2), Goa (1), Karnataka (1), Kerala (1)
East Coast 6 Tamil Nadu (3), Andhra Pradesh (1), Odisha (1), West Bengal (1)
Andaman & Nicobar 0 operational (Galathea Bay — pre-construction) A&N Islands UT (1 notified)
Total 13 notified (12 operational)
State-wise maximum: Tamil Nadu = 3 major ports (Chennai, V.O. Chidambaranar, Kamarajar). Maharashtra = 2 operational (Mumbai, JNPA).

🏆 Key Facts for Quick Recall

CategoryPortDetails
Oldest major port (overall) Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Kolkata) Established 1870
Oldest artificial harbour (East Coast) Chennai Operations began 1881
Largest by cargo (major ports, FY24-25) Deendayal (Kandla) 150+ MMT. Note: Mundra Port (Adani, private) handles more overall but is NOT a major port under the Act.
Busiest container port (major ports) JNPA (Nhava Sheva) 7.30 million TEUs in FY 2024-25 (53.93% of all major-port container traffic)
Only riverine major port Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Kolkata) On Hooghly River (distributary of Ganga), 203 km from sea
Only corporatised major port Kamarajar (Ennore) Incorporated as a company; all others are statutory Port Authorities
Deepest port (operational) Visakhapatnam Natural depth 16.5 m — deepest landlocked and protected harbour
Future deepest port (under construction) Vadhavan Planned depth 20 m — India's first offshore port (artificial island). Phase 1 target: 2029.
Natural harbour (most noted) Cochin (Kochi) Formed naturally in 1341 AD when Periyar River flooded
Nearest port to Suez Canal route Cochin (Kochi) ~76 nautical miles from Suez route; 11 nautical miles from Middle East trade route
Nearest port to Malacca Strait Galathea Bay ~40 nautical miles — strategic transshipment hub on Indo-Pacific lanes
First major port on East Coast post-Independence Paradip Declared major port 1966; foundation stone by PM Nehru in 1962
Total cargo — FY 2024-25 855 million tonnes +4.3% YoY; H1 FY 2025-26: 437 MT (Apr–Sep 2025, +7.2% YoY)

⚖️ Legal Framework

Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (governs 12 major ports)

The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (No. 1 of 2021, assented 17 February 2021) replaced the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. It restructures governance, grants more autonomy, and replaces port trusts with Port Authorities.
AspectOld Act (1963)New Act (2021)
Governance body Large Board of Trustees Compact Board of Major Port Authority
Tariff regulation Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) sets rates Ports fix tariffs per market conditions — TAMP's role removed for major ports
Dispute resolution Partial court jurisdiction Adjudicatory Board (courts barred from certain disputes)
Port entity type Statutory trust Autonomous Major Port Authority (statutory body)
Legislation size 134 sections 76 sections (leaner)

Indian Ports Act, 2025 (governs non-major ports)

The Indian Ports Act, 2025 was passed by Lok Sabha on 12 August 2025 and Rajya Sabha on 18 August 2025. It replaced the colonial-era Indian Ports Act, 1908.
Key FeatureDetails
Governing body created Maritime State Development Council — chaired by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways; includes all coastal state Ministers
New body for states Mandates State Maritime Boards for all coastal states to manage non-major ports
New port classification Introduces a "mega port" category — ports can be designated as mega ports while retaining existing classification
Environmental compliance Mandates MARPOL and Ballast Water Management Convention compliance
Replaced Indian Ports Act, 1908 (colonial-era legislation)

🚢 Sagarmala Programme — Key Updates

ItemDetail
Total projects identified 839 projects worth ₹5.79 lakh crore
Completed (as of March 2026) 315 projects (investment: ~₹1.56 lakh crore); 120 port modernisation projects added 400+ MTPA new capacity
Under implementation 210 projects
Sagarmala 2.0 (announced 19 March 2025) Budget corpus: ₹40,000 crore government budgetary support. Target private investment: ₹12 lakh crore over the next decade. Focus: Shipbuilding, ship repair, ship recycling, port modernisation, green shipping.
Companion schemes (Union Budget FY 2025-26) ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund (MDF); revamped shipbuilding subsidy; Sagarmala Startup Innovation Initiative (S2I2)
Vision Make India a top shipbuilding nation by 2047 (Viksit Bharat)

⚠️ Exam Traps

TrapCorrect Answer
How many major ports does India have? 13 notified (12 operational + Galathea Bay notified Sep 2024, under development). Older books say 12 — outdated. Port Blair was briefly the 13th (2010) but status removed in 2017. Vadhavan is under construction but not yet formally notified as a major port.
Which is India's largest port by cargo? Mundra (Adani) is largest overall — but NOT a major port. Among major ports, Deendayal (Kandla) is the largest by cargo volume.
Is Haldia a separate major port? No. Haldia Dock Complex is part of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (Kolkata) — the same major port entity.
Which is the only corporatised major port? Kamarajar Port (Ennore) — incorporated as a company. All other major ports are statutory Port Authorities.
Is Chennai Port a natural harbour? No. Chennai is India's oldest artificial harbour on the East Coast. Cochin (Kochi) is the prominent natural harbour.
Which act governs major ports? Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (replaced Major Port Trusts Act, 1963). Non-major ports: Indian Ports Act, 2025 (replaced Indian Ports Act, 1908).
Where is Galathea Bay? Great Nicobar Island (southernmost A&N Islands) — NOT near Port Blair (which is on South Andaman Island). Located 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait.
Is Vadhavan a notified major port? Not yet (as of April 2026). It is a greenfield project under JNPA oversight, approved by Cabinet (June 2024), under construction. Not yet formally notified as a major port.
Kandla was renamed to what and when? Deendayal Port — renamed on 25 September 2017 after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
Kolkata Port was renamed to what and when? Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port — renamed on 12 January 2020 (150th year).
Which is the implementing agency for Galathea Bay? Kamarajar Port Limited (Ennore) — implementation responsibility transferred to Kamarajar Port from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.