12 Major ports handled record cargo of 855 million tonnes in 2024-25

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 13-05-2025

12 Major ports handled record cargo of 855 million tonnes in 2024-25

Transport 5 min read

The total cargo handled by the 12 Major ports in the country in 2024-25 was 855 million tonnes as compared to 819 million tonnes in 2023-24. It registered a growth rate of 4.3% in cargo handling as compared to 2023-24. For the first time Paradip Port and the Deendayal Port handled more than 150 million tonnes of cargo .

Highlights of Major Ports Performance in 2024-25

The total cargo handled by the 12 Major Port Authorities in 2024-25 was 889 million tonnes, a growth of 4.3% as compared to last year.
The highest growth rate was registered in container throughput (10%), followed by 13 % growth in fertiliser cargo handling and 3% growth in POL (Petroleum Oil and Lubricant) cargo handling.
The growth in miscellaneous commodities was 31 %.
For the first time Paradip Port Authority and Deendayal Port Authority handled cargo of more than 150-million-tonne in a fiscal year.

Major Commodities handled

The three major commodities handled at the 12 major ports collectively are as follows:

Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL)

254.5 million tonnes of cargo handled.
Contribution to the total volume of cargoes handled by all the ports - 29.8%

Container Traffic

193.5 million tonnes of cargo handled.
Contribution to the total volume of cargoes handled by 12 major ports- 22.6%

Coal

Total cargo handled 186.6 million tonnes.
Contribution to the total volume of cargo handled by 12 major ports: 21.8%.

Financial Performance of Major Ports

The total income earned by 12 major ports was Rs 24,203 crore in 2024-25 as compared to Rs 22,468 crore in 2023-24.
The operating surplus of the 12 major ports in 2024-25 was Rs 12,314 crore, compared to Rs 11,512 crore in 2023-24.

Major Ports in India

There are two types of ports in India owned by the government.

The ports owned by the government of India are called Major Ports, and those owned by the State government are known as medium or minor ports.

The major ports are under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

There are 12 Major Port Authorities in India that manage 12 major ports.

The Port Blair Port in Andaman and Nicobar was initially given a Major Port status in 2010, but it was withdrawn in 2017.

The 13th Major port is under construction at Vadhvan in Maharashtra.

Following is the list of the 12 Major Ports in India.

Serial Number	Port Name	Located in State /Union Territory	Coast of India
1	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	Eastern Coast
2	V.O.Chidambaram Port	Tamil Nadu	Eastern Coast
	Kamarajar Port(Ennore Port)	Tamil Nadu	Eastern Coast
4	Visakhapatnam Port	Andhra Pradesh	Eastern Coast
5	Paradip Port	Odisha	Eastern Coast
6	Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port, Kolkata	West Bengal	Eastern Coast
7	Cochin Port	Kerala	Western Coast
8	New Mangalore Port	Karnataka	Western Coast
9	Mormugao Port	Goa	Western Coast
10	Deen Dayal Port Authority	Gujarat	Western Coast
11	Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) or Nhava Sheva Port	Maharashtra	Western Coast
12	Mumbai Port	Maharashtra	Western Coast