Indian shipping industry consists of shipping services by various shipping companies in India, ports in India, management of container shipping, local and international cargo or freight shipping, vessel shipping, bulk shipping and other maritime shipping services along with transport services both global and inland water transport.
Shipping Ports In India
The Indian coastline stretches to over 6000 Kms with 12 major ports and 181 minor and medium ports. Over 90% of India’s international trade is handled by the Indian ports. The major ports in India are handled by the Ports Trust of India (PTI) that is a Central Government undertaking. The respective state governments manage the operational (139) minor ports of India. The port infrastructure of India although being updated is still insufficient considering the freight and cargo shipping traffic on the shipping ports in India.
- Major Ports in India:The major ports in India managed by the Ports Trust of India are located at Kolkata (previously Calcutta), Haldia, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port), Kandla, Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Tuticorin, Paradwip and Vishakhapatnam. Largest port in India is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port at Nhava Sheva that handles around 50% of the total port traffic in India.
- Port Cities in India:The cities in India where the major and minor ports are located witness the centralization of the daily life around the shipping ports in the city as it is the local shipping industry or rather the local shipping companies that give then shipping jobs. The regional set-up revolves around the ports and shipping infrastructure. The cities included are Vishakhapatnam, Vijaydurg, Surat, Ratnagiri, Porbandar, Panaji, Paradip, Nhava Sheva, Mangalore, Machilipatnam, Lothal, Kochi, Kandla, Haldia, Bhavnagar and others.
- Indian Ports Authority:The shipping ports in India are managed by various authorities and associations taking care of different aspects. The organizations deserving mention in this respect include the Ports Trust of India, Central Authority for Ports in India and Indian Ports Association. The Central government that collectively handles all the major ports in India provides all the necessary info on the shipping ports in India including detailed Indian ports map, maps of Indian port cities, and addresses of the local Indian Ports Association in case of minor Indian port. The Indian Ports Act by the India Government urges the Indian shipping industry to strictly implement the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code for ports security and also the security of all the outgoing global cargo and freight.
Shipping Industry In India
The Indian shipping industry has a total capacity of 6.62 million tons from the strength of a total 616 ships consisting of 258 ships for international cargo shipping and rest for inland freight and passenger services. Shipping in India suffered a set back in the late nineties but since then has gained a substantial growth in the capacity and number of ships. The ships in India include tugs, survey vessels, towing vessels and pilot vessels. These belong to the maritime shipping companies.
- Shipping Companies in India:The major players in the Indian shipping sector include Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) that is a government owned shipping company providing both coastal and overseas mixed-fleet services, Great Eastern Shipping that is a private shipping company also offering mixed-fleet cargo and freight services, Essar Shipping engaging in shipping tanker services, Chowgule Shipping covering bulk cargo services including iron ore, coal, fertilizers and grain and Varun Shipping dealing in wet, dry, gas and chemical transport.
- Shipping Logistics:Marine shipping or ocean shipping in India is the backbone of the international trade in India. The shipping transportation of cargo both bulk and light has given a development platform to India that has made India equivalent to shipping business of Hong Kong, China, Singapore and other Asian shipping centres. Indian shipping news shows advent of newer shipping companies in India along the shipping lines. The container ports area in India have developed infrastructure equivalent to the major metro cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Indian Shipping Summit is held at regular intervals to provide a platform for organized networking of global maritime shipping business players.