Sea routes
Also called: Ocean routes, Oceanic routes · Topic: Transport and Communication in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"; Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
Sea routes are the shipping paths that ships take across the oceans. They are the cheapest way to move heavy, bulky goods over long distances. India's coastline was 7,517 km including islands (Class 12). A new method of measuring it in 2024 gave 11,098.81 km. India has 12 major ports and about 200 minor ports. Sea routes carry about 95% of India's foreign trade by volume and about 70% by value (Class 10 says 68%). Ships also link the islands to the mainland.
Example
Vizhinjam International Seaport, near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, opened in May 2025. It is India's first deep-water container transshipment port, which means big ships drop containers there and smaller ships carry them onward. The sea there is naturally about 18-20 m deep, and the port lies close to the main east-west shipping route.
Don't confuse with
- Inland waterways: these are rivers, canals and backwaters inside the country. They carry only about 1% of India's traffic.
Related concepts
- Sagarmala Programme
- Mundra port
- Inland container depot
- Vizhinjam International Seaport
- Vadhavan port
- Great Nicobar Project