5 Largest Ports In India And Their Cargo Capacity

• Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Kandla Port are two most important ports on the West Coast of India
• Chennai Port is the second largest container port in India while the Visakhapatnam Port is the deepest landlocked port

According to official data 95% of India’s trade by volume is done through maritime transports. Ports plays an important role in the Indian economy and India has 13 major and 205 notified minor ports. The port industry in India is huge as it has about 7,517 km of coastline which is 16th largest in the world. In FY22 all key ports of India handled over 650 million tonnes of cargo traffic. 5 largest ports in India contributed more than 50% of India’s cargo handling capacity. So let’s take a look at the 5 largest ports in the country:

Mundra Port, Gujarat

Which is the largest private port of India? It is Mundra Port owned by India’s leading business conglomerate the Adani Group. In 2020 – 21, the Mundra Port handled 144 million tonnes of cargo. Started with just one berth in 1998 now Mundra Port has 24 berths and 10 terminals. In just 12 years this port handled 100 million (10 crore) cargo which made it the India’s largest commercial port. The Mundra Port alone can handle over 338 MMT of cargo annually which is highest for any port in India.

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The Mundra Port Coal Terminal is the world’s largest coal importing terminal that can handle 60 million tonnes of cargo annually. In 2012 after acquisition by the Adani Group its name was changed to Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ). When Adani Group took over the port saw a huge capacity expansion. The current container handling capacity of Mundra Port is around 5.65 million TEU which makes it the largest container port in India.

Cargo Base Of Mundra Port: Containers, cars, crude oil, liquid, bulk and dry bulk, fertilizers, steel cargo, minerals, agri etc.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai

The second major port in the west coast of India is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai. This port is also known as Nhava Sheva Port and it is the second largest container port in India after the Mundra Port. Like Mundra Port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port too has a full fledge custom house. The annual container handling capacity of this port is more than 5.63 million TEU.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mumbai Port collectively account for around 35% of the total traffic handled by 13 major ports in India. Maharashtra has 720 km of coastline and hence this state is one of the leading states in maritime trade. JNPT handles around 40% of the total containers cargo of India. Not far away from auto hub Pune, the JNPT port acts as a major export hub for the auto companies like Volkswagen, Bajaj Auto etc.

Cargo Base Of Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT): Chemicals, Machinery, Oils, Non-Ferrous materials, cars, textile, meat, pharmaceuticals etc.

Chennai Port, Tamil Nadu

One of the major container ports in India is the Chennai Port. In terms of handling container cargos it is equivalent to the JNPT port of Mumbai. For the east coast of India the Chennai port acts as a major export and import hub. Chennai is known as the Detroit Of India due to the presence of many car companies around it. For them Chennai port acts as a major car export hub.

The Chennai Port exports more than 3 lakh cars every year and it is the largest car terminal in the country. The annual container capacity of Chennai Port is 2.0 million TEUs and it can candle more than 45 million tonnes of cargo every year. Among all the major ports in India the Chennai Port is 3rd oldest. It is the largest port of Bay Of Bengal which has 3 docks and 24 berths. Kamarjar Port or Ennore Port is also one of the 12 major ports in India in Tamil Nadu.

Cargo Base Of Chennai Port: Cars, Containers, iron ore, granite, coal, fertilizers, fishing, petroleum, textiles, iron & steel etc.

Kandla Port, Gujarat

Kandla Port aka Deendayal Port Authority is the 2nd major port in Kutch, Gujarat. It is one of the chief ports serving western India. By volume of cargo handled it is the largest port in India. This port has a capacity of handling more than 200 million tonnes of cargo annually. Kandla Port Trust (KPT) handles this port and generates close to ₹1,000 crore in profits every year. In 2017, Kandla Port was renames as Deendayal Port.

In exporting grains and importing vegetable oils, Kandla Port acts as a major hub. It is one of the highest earning ports in India due to its diversified cargo base and huge traffic it gets.

Cargo Base Of Kandla Port: Petroleum, chemicals, iron & steel, salt, textile, grain, machinery, vegetable oil etc.

Visakhapatnam Port, Andhra Pradesh

One of the 12 major ports in India is the Visakhapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh. It is India’s 3rd largest state owned port by volume. Annual cargo handling capacity of this port is more than 72 million tonnes. This port was opened way back in 1933 and has 24 operational berths. In 2020 – 21 the Visakhapatnam Port handled close to 70 million tonnes of cargo standing 3rd among major ports. It is the deepest port of India which handles large chunk of coal and iron ore traffic.

After inauguration of Gangavarman Port which is just 15 km away from Visakhapatnam Port, a significant traffic of the port got diverted. That’s why this port lost its position of the largest port in India.

Cargo Base Of Visakhapatnam Port: Coal, Iron Ore, petroleum, mining, fertilisers, fishing etc.

5 Largest Ports In India:

Port	Traffic
Mundra Port, Gujarat	144 million tonnes
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai	5.63 million TEUs
Chennai Port, Tamil Nadu	2.0 million TEUs
Kandla Port, Gujarat	200 million tonnes
Visakhapatnam Port, Andhra Pradesh	72 million tonnes