Calcutta, Haldia, Chennai, JNPT, Kandla, Kochi, Goa, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Paradip, Tuticorin & Vizag.

A brief on major ports handling maximum sugar exports is given below.

MUMBAI PORT

Port of Mumbai has long been the principal Gateway of India. It is strategically situated almost midway (Latitude 18.54'N, longitude 72.49° along the West Coast of India and is gifted with a natural harbour of about 180 sq. km providing for shipping throughout the year. Mumbai Port has approximately 25% share of general cargo traffic & 36% share of India's marine container traffic. There are three enclosed wet docks namely Indira, Prince's and Victoria Docks.

• Indira Dock has an entrance lock 228.6 meters long and 30.5 meters wide, through which vessels can enter or leave the docks at any state of tide. There are 22 berths inside the basin and 5 berths along the harbours wall with a designed draft of 10.7 metres & 8.5 metres. The depth of water inside the basin can be increased by 1.20 metres by impounding water.
• The Victoria Dock is a semi-tidal dock and has 13 berths, with a designed draft of 7.9 metres.
• There are 13 berths with a designed draft of 7.3 metres at Prince's Dock.
• There are two berths at Ballard Pier Station & Ballard Pier Extension. The latter though built as a passenger terminal, is mostly used by container vessels & has a designed draft of 10.7 metres. The Ballard Pier Station berth caters to container vessels & has draft of 10 metres.
  

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU PORT (JNP)

Jawaharlal Nehru Port, the country's youngest and most modern ort, was commissioned in 1989. JNP has been planned and constructed as "State-of-the-art" facility designed to the international standards in line with the most modern facilities for handling dry bulk cargo. It was planned with a view to decongest Mumbai and serve as a hub port for this region. It has highly-automated operations.

JNP has been accredited with ISO 9002/1994 certificate and has the distinction of crossing handling 1 million TEUs container cargo, which is an achievement for the first time by any major Port of India, thus joining the Millionaire club in the International Port Scenario. Ranking of JN Port has gone up to one of the top 50 International Port who have achieved this landmark distinction. Some important features are:

• Two berths for dry bulk and one multi purpose berth for handling liquid and other cargo (liner quay length 712 mtrs.)
• Each berth can handle ships up to 85,000 DWT.
• Automated system for unloading dry bulk cargo.
• Port takes in vessels having laden draft upto 12 metres.
  

TUTICORIN PORT

Tuticorin Port (Latitude : 8° 45'N, Longitude : 78° 13'E) is on the South-Eastern coast adjoining the Gulf of Mannar in Tuticorin District, about 600 km south of Chennai. It enjoys a unique advantage by its strategic location close to the East West international sea route. It is the first Indian Port to receive ISO 9002 Certification. Tuticorin Port offers round the clock service and has two operational Wings :-

Zone A: comprising of new major Port &

Zone B: representing the old Anchorage or minor Port.

Some important features of the port are as follows :-

• Total berth age of 3.5 km. Six alongside berths to handle mainly break bulk, dry bulk cargoes and containers.
• Well connected by broad gauge rail & road with all major cities and all ICDS.
• Permissible draft 10.7 metres.
• 3 Warehouses (15,550 sqm) & 2 transit sheds (110,800 sqm)
• Total traffic handled during the year 2000 - 2001 was 12.28 million tones.
• Exports 2.45 million tones / imports 9.84 million tones.
• Container traffic touched an all time record of 1,56,978 TEUS
  

CHENNAI PORT

Chennai port is an artificial harbor situated on the Coromandel Coast in South-East India and it is the second principal Port for handling containers.

Chennai Port has 21 alongside berths in the 3 Docks viz., Dr. Ambedkar Dock, Jawahar Dock, Bharathi Dock and Container Terminal. The depth of various berths varies form 7.92 meters to 11 metres.

Chennai, (Latitude 13° 06'N, Longitude : 80° 18' E,) being an important metropolitan town is well connected with all the major cities and industrial centers in India by road, rail and air. The existing 600m liner quay of Container Terminal at Chennai Port has handled 321960 TEUs of containers during 1999-2000.

Some important features of the port are as follows :-

• Chennai Port follows the concept of single window clearance. The Export Documentation Center housing Customs and Forwarding. Labours and the Dock Labors Board is within the Port Complex.
• Palletised cargo is given 10% rebate on wharf age and the weight of the pallet is not taken into account for the purpose of calculating wharf age.
• 30 days free time is allowed for aggregation of cargo on the wharf before the arrival of the vessel.
• Warehouses 12, area 65,686 metres.
• Transit Shed 10, area 47,841 metres.
• Covered area 6, area 43,450 metres.
• Container Freight Station 2, area 12,600 metres.