Social Science

Assignment
Sea Ports as a Gateway to the Colonial
Powers and Role of Waterways in The
Post World War II in India.
 Contents
The Major
What Are Sea Ports of The Kolkata The Mumbai
Sea Ports? Colonial Port Port
India

The Chennai The Karachi The Kochi

Mumbai Kochi

Chennai
 The Kolkata Port
Origin
The Kolkata Port, renamed as Dr. Shayama Prasad
Mukherjee Port was one of the earliest major ports in
the country. Commissioned in 1870, its affairs had been
brought under the colonial government before which,
this port was mostly used to transport indentured
labourers; mainly from the Hindi belt to places across
the world like Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana,
Suriname, South Africa and other Caribbean Islands
during 1833.
The port started its operations with river moorings and
four screw pile jetties for general cargo. More jetties
were built at Budge Budge in 1886 to handle liquid cargo.
In 1892, the sheltered dock at Kidderpore (KPD) was
built, followed by the construction of the Netaji Subhas
Dock in 1928.
 Significance
This port has the biggest dry dock in the country, which handles
repairs and maintenance for ships coming into the eastern ports. It
also has facilities for building ships. Three of the five dry docks here
are in Kidderpore Dock and two are in Netaji Subhas Dock. The port's
location at the meeting point of NW-1 (Ganga) and NW-2
(Brahmaputra), along with its link to NW-5 (East Coast Canal), makes
it increasingly important for both passenger and cargo transport. The
connection between the Sundarbans and Bangladesh helps make
trade easier and boosts tourism and local travel. This waterway
network supports economic growth and offers an eco-friendly option
compared to road and rail transport, enhancing the port's role in the
region's logistics.
 The Mumbai Port
Origin
Founded in 1873, this port celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. It
sits by the Arabian Sea and is one of the most important ports in
India's colonial history. Building the port was a great achievement,
showing human creativity and determination. Large areas of land
were taken from the sea, turning marshy land into a big harbour that
could hold the largest ships of that time.
Building Mumbai Port was a huge accomplishment, showing human
creativity and the desire for progress. Large areas were taken back
from the sea, turning wet, swampy land into a big, busy harbour that
could hold the biggest ships of its time.
The deep waters in the harbour offer good protection for
ships all year round. The way into the harbour is well-lit,
with the Prongs Lighthouse to the north, visible from 27
kilometres away, and the Kennery Lighthouse to the
south, visible from 29 kilometres away. The harbour
entrance, which can be approached from the southwest,
is between Prongs Reef and Thull Reef, about 9
kilometres apart.
 Significance
The Mumbai Port holds a significant place in the rich history of India’s
maritime trade. Mumbai Port has played a pivotal role in shaping the
destiny of the city, transforming it to a bustling megapolis and of the
Nation.

Indira Dock is a wet dock covering 24.04 hectares, with about 4,000
meters of quay space. Ships can enter through a lock that is 228.6 meters
long and 30.5 meters wide, at any tide. The dock has 21 berths inside and
5 along the harbor wall, with depths of 9.14 meters and 7.5 meters.
Electric pumps can increase the depth by 1.2 meters. There are also two
berths on the south side: Ballard Pier Station, which handles containers,
and Ballard Pier Extension, which has a passenger terminal.
At Jawahar Dweep Oil Terminal, crude oil and petroleum
products are handled at four jetties: JD1, JD2, JD3, and
JD4. A new jetty, JD5, was completed in December 2020,
measuring 470 meters long with a depth of 17 meters,
allowing ships of up to 150,000 tonnes to dock. At Pir Pau,
three jetties—Old Pir Pau, New Pir Pau (NPP), and New Pir
Pau 2 (NPP2)—are used for chemicals and petroleum
products. Old Pir Pau handles only lube and base oil
barges, while NPP and NPP2 handle chemicals, LPG, and
other products. All jetties are connected to refineries and
storage tanks by pipelines.
 The Chennai Port
Origin
Chennai Port, the third oldest of India’s 12 major ports, is an
important hub on the East Coast and has been in operation for 147
years, with maritime trade starting in 1639. Initially an open
roadstead, the port faced challenges from storms until an artificial
harbor was built and opened in 1881. It started with a northern pier
near Fort St. George, handling 300,000 tons of cargo from 600
ships. Over the years, the port improved its facilities, including
shifting its entrance for better protection and adding more berths.
By the 1960s, it had expanded to include Jawahar Dock for dry bulk
cargo and Bharathi Dock for petroleum and iron ore handling.
 Chennai Port has an Iron Ore Terminal with a mechanized handling
plant, one of three in India, capable of managing 8 million tons of iron
ore, though operations are currently paused due to a High Court
order. The port also features an oil terminal that supports the CPCL
refinery and can handle Suezmax vessels. In 1983, it opened India’s
first dedicated container terminal, now operated by D.P. World,
ranking among the top 100 container ports globally. A second
terminal, operated by PSA, was added in 2009 with a capacity of 1.5
million TEUs. The port, with three docks and 26 berths, handled 48.56
million tonnes of cargo in 2021-22, an increase from the previous year.
It also has its railway network and is upgrading its cruise terminal to
international standards, with ongoing marketing efforts to boost
trade and attract new cargoes.
 Significance
Chennai Port, one of the oldest ports in India, has significant
importance as a key hub for maritime trade on the east coast.
Established in 1881, it serves a wide range of industries including
automobiles, textiles, and petrochemicals. The port is equipped to
handle various cargo types and features three docks with
numerous berths, allowing it to accommodate large vessels.
Additionally, it has a dedicated container terminal that ranks
among the top 100 in the world, reflecting its growing role in
global trade. The port also plays a crucial part in connecting
southern India to international markets, enhancing economic
growth and development in the region.
 The Karchi Port
Origin

The modern port began to take shape in 1854, when the main
navigation channel was dredged and a mole or causeway was
constructed to link the main harbour with the rest of the city.
This was followed by construction of Manora breakwater,
Keamari Groyne, the Napier Mole Bridge and the Native Jetty
Bridge.
 Significance
Karachi was an important military base during the First World
War (1914-18) because it was the first British Raj port of call for
ships coming through the Suez Canal and was the gateway to
Afghanistan and the Russian Empire.
 The Kochi Port
Origin
Cochin (now Kochi) transformed from a small harbour into a modern
shipping hub mainly due to Sir Robert Bristow, an engineer who
worked there from 1920 to 1941. He created a shipping channel by
cutting through the sand bar at the harbour's entrance, allowing
larger ships to enter. The first ship arrived on May 26, 1928. After
that, road and rail connections were developed to link Cochin with
important inland trading areas, making it a key trading centre on
the Kerala coast. This development not only boosted trade but also
helped the city grow economically and socially.
 Cochin transformed from a simple roadstead into a modern harbour
thanks to Sir Robert Bristow, an engineer who worked there from 1920
to 1941. He created a shipping channel by cutting through the sand bar
at the harbour's mouth, which allowed larger ships to enter. The first
ship arrived on May 26, 1928. After that, road and rail networks were
established, connecting Cochin to important inland trading areas and
making it a key trading hub on the Kerala coast. This development
greatly boosted the local economy and linked Cochin to global trade.
 Significance
Cochin port is connected to its hinterland enlarging to the state
of Kerala, South Tamil Nadu and South Karnataka by National
Highways NH 47(Kanyakumari-Salem), NH49 (Cochin-Madurai)
and NH17(Cochin-Mumbai). Indian Railway Network provides
seamless connectivity to South and Central India. The National
Waterway NW3 provides connectivity to the South Kerala. The
port has an international airport in its proximity. The network
of railways roads, waterways and airways has created good
accessibility to the port. Inland Container Depots (ICD) at
Coimbatore and Bangalore connected by Regular Train Service
 Bibliography
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