The Port of Mormugao is the main port for the state of Goa in on the shores of west central India. Just four kilometers from Vasco da Gama and 34 kilometers southwest of the city of Panaji, the Port of Mormugao is famous for its picturesque harbor. The Portuguese chose the Port of Mormugao to be the capital of their empire, and it was an important trade center for the British.

In 1624, the Portuguese began to fortify the Port of Mormugao town at the headlands overlooking the harbor to defend their maritime supremacy in the Goa region, even though their capital was in the city of Gao. The existing Bijapur sultans fiercely resisted the Portuguese invasion, and there were many attempts. In the early 1640s, the Dutch tried to take the Port of Mormugao, but they were unsuccessful.

By 1683, the Marathas posed serious threats to the Portuguese in the Port of Mormugao. When the City of Gao began to decline, the Portuguese viceroy moved the capital to the fortress in the Port of Mormugao.

Building was underway in the late 17th Century. Jesuit architects tried to avoid the day’s ornate styles, and the viceroy’s spartan palace still stands today. When the Portuguese viceroys felt too isolated in the Port of Mormugao, they moved their headquarters to the nearby city of Panjim. During World War II,  British agents stayed in the viceroy’s palace (which was by then a hotel) and destroyed German ships that tried to anchor in the neutral waters of the Port of Mormugao.

When the Port of Mormugao was commissioned in 1888, it contained three berths and a 358-meter long breakwater. It continued to grow, and by 1922, two more berths were built, the breakwater was extended to 522.4 meters, and a 270-meter mole was added. During the 1930s, Americans and American candy manufacturers discovered Goan cashew nuts, bringing more commerce through the port.

As the industry of mining grew in the state of Gao in the mid-20th Century, the Portuguese created two new dedicated ore berths and an iron ore terminal. The Port of Mormugao played an important role in Japan’s reconstruction efforts after World War II. After 1947, Goa’s iron ore mines began to operate on a commercial scale. By 1953, Port of Mormugao traffic reached 278 thousand tons. By 1974, that amount grew to 1.5 million tons of cargo. Today, the Port of Mormugao exports 39% of all iron ore from India.

When the Port of Mormugao was liberated in 1961, the Portuguese era ended. The port saw many changes as development focused on infrastructure improvements. Although the government closed the railway from Vasco da Gama after liberation, the Port of Mormugao operated its own railway from the harbor to Vasco da Gama.

Growth in cargo traffic highlighted the Port of Mormugao’s inadequate port facilities in the 20th Century, opening doors for entrepreneurs. Chowgule & Co., with a concession from the Portuguese, set up the first mechanical ore handling plant of its kind in Asia, with capacity to handle ten thousand tons per day.

In 1964, the Port of Mormugao was recognized as a Major Port for India, opening the way for infrastructure development and empowering the new Board of Trustees to make important decisions. Competition in the ore export business came from Brazil and Australia in the early 1960s, forcing major changes in the Indian iron ore market and leading to a decision to develop the Port of Mormugao’s deep-water and cargo-handling capacity. By 1979, a new ore-handling facility was completed, with capacity for 12 million tons of iron ore per year and eight thousand tons per hour. The channel and berths were dredged to permit vessels to 60 thousand DWT into the port, and modern equipment was brought in to make cargo handling more efficient.

In the latter half of the 20th Century, several developments added to the Port of Mormugao’s capacity. In 1976, a dedicated mineral oil berth was opened. In the 1980s and 1990s, two mutli-purpose berths with alongside depth of from 11 to 12.5 meters were added for general cargo. The 1959 mechanical ore handling plant was decommissioned in 1992, and a modern ship repair facility was installed at the two oldest berths in 1995. The Port of Mormugao’s railway linking to the Indian rail system was opened in 1997.

The Port of Mormugao has a 250-meter wide channel that is 5.2 kilometers long in the Outer Channel and 2.3 kilometers long in the Inner Channel. Channel depths range from 13.1 to 14.4 meters.

The Port of Mormugao continues to be India’s leading iron ore exporting port, with over 27.3 million tons of ore exported in the 2007-2008 shipping year, primarily to Japan, China, Korea, and Europe. The port handled a total of 35.1 million tons of cargo in 2007-2008, representing 7% of the traffic handled by India’s 12 Major Ports.

The Port of Mormugao exported more than 16 million tons of cargo in the 2007-2008 shipping year, including 7.2 million tons of POL products (MRPL), 6.8 million tons of iron ore fines/lumps, and two million tons of iron ore pellets. Exports in containers totaled 5.0 thousand TEUs and 68.3 thousand tons. Containerized exports included 1.6 thousand TEUs (carrying 20 thousand tons) of frozen fish, 417 TEUs (with 10.6 thousand tons) of brass strips, and a wide range of other cargoes including iron castings, gherkins, components for industrial water treatment, aluminum, glass fiber, cashew kernels, zinc oxide, and pig iron.

In the 2007-2008 shipping year, the Port of Mormugao imported over 19.6 million tons of cargoImports were dominated by 12.8 million tons of POL Crude. Other imports included coal (1.7 million tons), liquefied petroleum gas (1.4 million tons), and fertilizer (830 thousand tons). Other imports included limestone, cement, timber, and general cargo.

 and an additional 5.7 thousand TEUs (carrying 66.4 thousand tons) of containerized cargo, including 1.6 thousand TEUs of frozen fish (20 thousand tons) and 417 TEUs of bass strips (10.6 thousand tons). Containerized cargo imports included 3.2 thousand TEUs (carrying 40.0 thousand tons) of general cargo; 325 TEUs of copper scrap, cables, and cathodes (carrying 5.1 thousand tons), and 413 TEUs (carrying 3.4 thousand tons) of photographic materials. Other containerized cargoes included computer parts, potassium carbonate, electronic components, microwave ovens, toileteries, and a host of other goods.

During the financial year 2007-2008 the port handled a traffic of 35.13 million tonnes which is 7% of the total traffic of 519.24 million tonnes handled by all the twelve major ports of India. The traffic during the year consisted of 27.33 millions tonnes of iron ore including iron ore pellets , 5.29 millions tonnes of coal/coke and 1.41 million tonnes of petroleum products and other liquid cargo. The remaining traffic consisted of cargoes like fertilizer, alumina, limestone, containerized cargo, H.R. Steel coil & Steel slabs. The Mechanical Ore Handling Plant loaded 10.31 million tonnes of iron ore. The general cargo traffic was 6.26 million tonnes. A quantity of 134,721 tonnes of containerized cargo was also handled at the port during the period.

The Port of Mormugao also contains a major complex for ship repairs. With dry dock facilities operated by M/s. Western India Shipyard Ltd, the floating dry dock is 15 thousand TLC and can accommodate vessels to 215 meters long and 60 thousand DWT. There are also facilities for afloat repairs, chipping, cleaning, and painting by specialist firms in the Port of Mormugao.

The most popular attraction in the city of Marmagao is its harbor. Mormugao Harbor is a beautiful natural harbor, and the city recalls colonial Portuguese times. Visitors will also enjoy the many wonderful beaches in the Port of Marmogau, offering glorious sunsets and some of the area’s finest seafood.