The Centre has officially notified four ports—Deendayal Port (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Paradip Port and Mundra Port—as “Mega Ports”, marking the first time the new classification has been formally introduced in India’s port sector. The notification was issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on September 25, 2026. 

The new status has been granted under the Indian Ports Act, 2025. According to the notified criteria, a port can qualify as a Mega Port if it handles at least 150 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo annually in the bulk segment or 7.5 million TEUs in the container segment. The designation will remain valid for five years. 

Four ports receive the new status

The notified ports are spread across India’s western and eastern coastlines. Deendayal Port is located in Gujarat, JNPA in Maharashtra, Paradip Port in Odisha, while Mundra Port, operated by Adani Ports, is also located in Gujarat. Mundra is the only privately owned port among the four. 

The move comes as India seeks to expand its maritime capacity and improve the efficiency of cargo movement. Ports play a crucial role in the country’s international trade, with improvements in capacity, connectivity and logistics expected to support growing cargo volumes.

Building larger maritime gateways

The government has previously identified the development of mega ports as an important part of its long-term maritime strategy. Under the Maritime India Vision 2030, the Vadhavan-JNPA cluster, Paradip and Deendayal were identified for development with the objective of eventually reaching capacities of more than 300 million tonnes per annum. 

The earlier plan focused on factors such as deeper drafts for handling larger vessels, improved road and rail connectivity and availability of land for industrial and logistics development.

The latest notification expands the formal Mega Port framework to include Mundra, reflecting its large-scale cargo-handling and container operations.

Significance for India's trade

The recognition is expected to strengthen the strategic importance of these four ports as gateways for domestic and international trade. Greater port capacity can help accommodate larger vessels, improve cargo-handling efficiency and strengthen connections between ports, industrial centres and inland markets.

The government has also been pursuing wider port-modernisation projects, including capacity expansion and public-private partnerships. In 2023, the government said that infrastructure enhancement and capacity augmentation were already underway at Deendayal and Paradip, while the Vadhavan-JNPA cluster was being developed as part of the country's mega-port strategy. 

The notification therefore marks a new phase in India's port-development framework, with four strategically important maritime gateways now formally carrying the Mega Port designation.