India, as one of the world's largest peninsulas, is a thriving hub for global imports and exports. India has 13 largest sea ports that handle a large volume of traffic.  According to the Ministry of Shipping, 95% of India’s foreign trade is mainly via sea ports. These ports are located in the nine coastal Indian states: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal host the majority of seaports in India.

In today’s post, we will take a closer look at India's Top-10 biggest ports.

No.1 Largest Port in India - Nhava Sheva (JNPT)  1

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), also known as Nhava Sheva Port, is the largest container port in India. It is located east of Mumbai in Maharashtra. The name Nhava Sheva is derived from the names of two villages that used to exist in that area.

This largest port handles around 55% of the country's containerized cargo, surpassing the historic milestone of 4 million TEUs in containerized cargo for the last five years. In its coveted role as the Hub Port on the West Coast of India, JNPT is ranked 33th among the top 100 Container Ports in the world.

No.2 Largest Port in India - Port of Mundra  

Mundra Port is the largest private port of India located on the north shores, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the cargo movement in the country. It is also a special economic zone named as Adani Ports & SEZ Limited (APSEZ) managing several ports. Incorporated in 1998 as Gujarat Adani Port Limited (GAPL), the company began operating in 2001. 

In FY 2020–21, Mundra Port handled 144.4 million tonnes of cargo. The ports are equipped to handle a wide range of cargos, including dry cargo, liquid cargo, crude oil, and containers.

No.3 Largest Port in India - Port of Chennai

Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container public port of India, behind Mumbai's Nhava Sheva. It is India's third oldest port, having begun operations in 1881.

The port remains a primary driver of Tamil Nadu's economic growth, particularly the South Indian manufacturing boom, and has made significant contributions to the city of Chennai's development. It is due to the existence of the port that the city of Chennai eventually became known as the Gateway of South India.

No.4 Largest Port in India - Port of Kolkata

Port of Kolkata is the oldest operating port in India and was constructed by the British East India Company. As of March 2018, the port was capable of processing 650,000 containers per year, mostly from Nepal, Bhutan, and India's northeastern states.

In the 19th century, the Kolkata Port was the premier port in British India to ship off labours to places across the world. However, after independence, the port's importance decreased because of factors such as Bengal Partition (1947), shrinkage of the port hinterland, and economic stagnation in eastern India.

No.5 Largest Port in India - V. O. Chidambaranar Port (VOCP) 

V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust is an artificial port, ranked second largest port in Tamil Nadu and third largest container terminal in India. Located in Gulf of Mannar, with Sri Lanka on South East and large Indian Landmass on the West, the Port is well sheltered from storms and cyclone winds. Most of the people select this port is because of its location which lies near to the most busiest East-West International shipping sea route of the world. Currently it has services to USA, China, Europe, Sri Lanka and Mediterranean countries. 

No.6 Largest Port in India - Port of Kandla

Located on the Gulf of Kutch, Kandla port is one of major ports on the west coast of India. It is one of the oldest ports in India and was constructed back in the 1950s following the India-Pakistan partition.

This port is well-known for handling a large portion of India's crude oil imports. It’s also known as the most affluent and the busiest port, due to its high profitability for exporting grain and importing oil.

No.7 Largest Port in India - Port of Mumbai

Mumbai Port Trust is a port which lies midway on the West coast of India, on the natural deep-water harbour of Mumbai in Maharashtra. 

From its establishment, the port has served as a gateway to India and was a primary factor in the emergence of Mumbai as the commercial capital of India. However, Mumbai's expanding growth and population pressure constrained the growth of the port by the 1970s. This resulted in the establishment of the Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai on the Konkan mainland, across Mumbai Harbour. Nhava Sheva began operations in 1989, and it now handles the majority of container traffic.

No.8 Largest Port in India - Visakhapatnam Port 

Port of Visakhapatnam is one of the 12 Major ports of India. It is located on the east coast, midway between Kolkata and Chennai. During the FY 2019-20 the Port handled a record quantity of 72.72 million tons standing 3rd among major ports and first among the east coast ports.

Iron ore, manganese ore, steel products, general cargo, coal and crude oil are the main commodities handled at this port. It also handles over 70% Nepal foreign trade as of 2019.

No.9 Largest Port in India - Port of Cochin

Cochin Port or Kochi Port is a major port on the Arabian Sea–Indian Ocean sea-route in the city of Kochi. It is also the first transshipment terminal in India. The port lies on two islands in the Lake of Kochi: Willingdon Island and Vallarpadam, towards the Fort Kochi river mouth opening onto the Laccadive Sea. It was established in 1928 and has completed over 90 years of active service.

No.10 Largest Port in India - Port of Ennore 

Ennore Port is located on the Coromandel Coast about 18 km north of Chennai Port. It is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company. It is characterized by its mixed public-private orientation.

Ennor Port is one of the most easily accessible ports as this port is connected by roads and railways. And it is mainly responsible for handling coal. It transports around 16 million coal every year.