|
India has eleven major seaports: Kandla, Bombay,
Nhava Sheva, Marmagao, New Mangalore, and
Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) on the west
coast, and Calcutta-Haldia, Paradip, Vishakhapatnam,
Madras, and Tuticorin on the east coast. The
port at Nhava Sheva, located across the harbor
from Bombay Port, was established in 1982
under the administration of the Jawaharlal
Nehru Port Trust as a separate port rather
than an adjunct to Bombay. The eleven ports
are the responsibility of the Ministry of
State for Surface Transport but are managed
by semi-independent port trusts overseen by
boards appointed by the ministry from government
departments, including the navy, port labor
and industry, and ship owners and shipping
companies.
In order of gross
weight tonnage conveyed annually, Bombay,
Vishakhapatnam, Madras, and Marmagao are
the most important ports. In addition, there
are some 139 minor working ports along the
two coasts and on offshore islands administered
by local, state, or union territory maritime
administrations. Total traffic at the eleven
major ports increased from 107 million tons
in FY 1984 to 179 million tons in FY 1993.
In FY 1993, some US$250 million in profits
were earned, an achievement that attracted
some US$4.5 billion in foreign investments
in the ports in FY 1992-FY 1993.
In 1995 there
were three government-owned shipping corporations,
the most important of which was the Shipping
Corporation of India. There were also between
fifty and sixty private companies operating
a total of 443 vessels amounting to 6.3
million gross registered tons, more than
300 of which were 1,000 gross registered
tons or more. Indian tonnage represented
1.7 percent of the world total. Overall,
the share of Indian vessels in total Indian
trade is around 35 percent. Approximately
40 to 50 percent of capacity is underused.
As a result of the global slump of the late
1980s, shipping companies experienced financial
difficulties; the leading private shipping
company, Scindia Steam Navigation Company,
collapsed in 1987. The collapse left most
Indian shipping under public ownership.
The government's director general of shipping
provides oversight for all aspects of shipping.
India has four major
and three medium-sized shipyards, all government
run. The Cochin Shipyards in Kochi, Hindustan
Shipyard in Vishakhapatnam, and Hooghly
Dock and Port Engineers in Calcutta are
the most important shipbuilding enterprises
in India. Thirty-five smaller shipyards
are in the private sector. Drydocks at Kochi
and Vishakhapatnam accommodate the nation's
major ship repair needs.
In addition to its coastal
and ocean trade routes, India has more than
16,000 kilometers of inland waterways. Of
that number, more than 3,600 kilometers
are navigable by large vessels, although
in practice only about 2,000 kilometers
are used. Inland waters are regulated by
the Inland Waterways Authority of India,
which was established in 1986 to develop,
maintain, and regulate the nation's waterways
and to advise the central and state governments
on inland waterway development.
|
