International Cargo Seaport: Nhava Sheva Port

If you want to know about India’s largest container port, look no further than the Nhava Sheva Port, or also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JN Port). Located in Raigad District, Maharashtra State, this large port received its name from Nhava and Sheva, two villages that are located close to the current location of the port.

About Nhava Sheva Port

As the port is located in Maharashtra, this geographic location provides a strategic location for India’s trading activities. Directly bordered by the Arabian Sea in the west, the sea has been famous for being one of the world’s most active and significant trade routes for hundreds of years.

The port itself can be accessed through Thane Creek, an inlet in the shores of the Arabian Sea that separates the city of Mumbai from the Konkan region that is considered to be part of the Indian Peninsula mainland.

The History

The history behind the Nhava Sheva Port is relatively recent, despite its geographical exposure to one of the world’s most active marine trade routes. Originally constructed in 1986, the port is officially inaugurated by the then-Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Sharad Pawar and the former Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi in 1989.

Gradually, JN Port’s facilities are consistently upgraded. In 2001, JN Port became the first container port in India capable of handling more than 1 million TEUs (twenty equipment units). Apart from its continuous upgrades in order to be able to handle millions of TEUs, the bulk terminal in JN Port was converted into a container terminal to handle such an amount of cargo materials.

Volume of Transaction in Nhava Sheva Port

In December 2021, JN Port handled about 7.2 million tons in its total traffic volume, which was an increase from about 6.37 million tons in December 2020. Throughout 2021, JN Port had a gradual increase of total traffic for 56.07 million tons of cargo in April-December 2021, compared to 44.74 million tons in the same period of months in 2020.

Regarding the container traffic, JN Port managed to handle 4.60 million tons of TEUs of container traffic during FY 2020-21, which is a reduction from the traffic handling of 5.03 million TEUs in FY 2019-20. As for the bulk traffic, the total cargo also had a reduction from 7.51 million tons of cargo in 2019-20 to 7.06 million tons of cargo in 2020-21.

In the same regard, the total of cargo handling vessels in JN Port decreases from 2.498 vessels in 2019-20 to 2.488 in 2020-21, with a total of 0.40% reduction in sailed vessels.

Interesting Facts

Despite its relatively young age when compared to ports in other cities around the world, the Nhava Sheva Port continues to strive for its excellence in many regards. For instance, due to its important location, the Port administration invests in the Port Road Connectivity Project to reduce the congestion of ships and increase ease of access to commuters.

Moreover, about 34% of the port’s total land (1147 hectares) is covered in mangrove forests that can help the Nhava Sheva Port in creating a greener and more sustainable container port in India.