In a strategic shift, Kandla Port, managed by the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), is preparing to expand its operations beyond Gujarat for the first time. The authority has confirmed that it is exploring opportunities to manage both public and private terminals in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Kandla Port, located in Gujarat’s Kutch district, has traditionally been one of India’s busiest ports, handling more than 150 million tonnes of cargo in the last financial year. About 60 per cent of this was petroleum, oil, and lubricants, while the remainder included timber, food grains, chemicals, and containerised cargo.

The decision to expand outside Gujarat is aimed at replicating the port’s efficiency model across other coastal states, thereby enhancing India’s overall maritime logistics network. Officials have indicated that the authority is “ownership-agnostic,” meaning it is open to managing both government-run and privately operated terminals.

Meanwhile, several major projects are underway at Kandla itself. A deep-draft multi-cargo berth capable of handling 18 million tonnes annually is under construction, along with a new container terminal of 2.3 million TEUs being developed through a public-private partnership. The container terminal is expected to be operational by September 2027.

Experts believe the expansion will ease congestion at India’s major ports, improve trade competitiveness, and modernise port operations across the western coast.