Which is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port in India?

Visakhapatnam Port, in Andhra Pradesh, on the east coast of India, is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port in the country. It was opened in 1933.

A landlocked port is one whose harbour is enclosed by land on most sides, protecting ships from strong waves and storms. Visakhapatnam's inner harbour is cut into the land and protected by a hill called the Dolphin's Nose on one side and another hill, Ross Hill, on the other. Its outer harbour can handle very large ships.

Visakhapatnam is one of India's busiest major ports. It handles large quantities of iron ore (much of it from the Bailadila mines in Chhattisgarh), coal, crude oil, fertilisers and other bulk cargo. The city also hosts the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, the Hindustan Shipyard and the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL), the first shore-based integrated steel plant in India.

India has about 12 major ports, managed by the Central Government under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, and about 200 minor ports, managed by state governments. Some notable ports:

Kandla (Deendayal Port), Gujarat: a tidal port built after Partition to replace Karachi; one of India's largest ports by cargo volume.

Mumbai Port: the largest natural harbour of India.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), Maharashtra: India's largest container port.

Mormugao, Goa: a major port for exporting iron ore.

Chennai Port: one of the oldest ports, with an artificial harbour.

Paradip, Odisha: a deep-water port handling iron ore and coal.

Kolkata (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port): India's only riverine major port, on the Hooghly.

Vizhinjam, Kerala: India's first deep-water transshipment port, commissioned in 2025.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kandla is a tidal port in the Gulf of Kutch.
• ✗Mumbai is the largest natural harbour.
• ✗Chennai has an artificial harbour.