India’s four mega ports: Full list and criteria explained

India’s four newly notified mega ports are Mundra, Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Paradip.

The classification requires ports to handle at least 150 million tonnes of bulk cargo or 7.5 million TEUs of container traffic annually.

It was introduced under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025.

The notification took effect from September 25, 2026.

It is the first such classification introduced in India.

The five-year classification is based on annual cargo-handling thresholds of 150 million tonnes for bulk ports or 7.5 million TEUs for container ports.

Mundra Port, operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, is the only privately owned facility among the four.

The other three mega ports are government-run facilities.

Paradip Port is the only mega port on India’s east coast among the four notified.

This is the first time India has introduced a mega port classification, following the enactment of the Indian Ports Act, 2025.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port, located at Nhava Sheva near Mumbai, is one of India’s busiest container ports.

Deendayal Port, formerly known as Kandla Port, is located in Gujarat.

The mega port classification is expected to be reviewed periodically based on cargo-handling performance.

India’s port sector has seen significant private and public investment in recent years as trade volumes have grown.

The Indian Ports Act, 2025, replaced an older colonial-era law governing port administration in the country.

Cargo-handling capacity at major Indian ports has expanded steadily over the past decade.

Container throughput and bulk cargo volumes are commonly used indicators of a port’s scale and economic significance.

India’s coastline spans both the western Arabian Sea coast and the eastern Bay of Bengal coast, served by different major ports.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the central government body responsible for port sector policy and regulation.

India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways notified four ports as the country’s first ‘mega ports’.

Mundra Port, Gujarat (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0