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Although the Port of Mumbai, located almost along the West Coast of India, is comparatively a modern creation as we have it today, its magnificent harbour, which is the keystone of its prosperity, has held a pride of place for centuries. As early as the beginning of the Seventeenth Century, though the trade of Mumbai island was negligible, the natural advantages of the Harbour as a maritime base and a haven for shipping on the western sea-board of India, were realised and there was considerable maneuvering for its occupation. In 1652, the Surat Council of the East India Company, realising the geographical advantage of the Port, urged its purchase from the Portuguese. Their wish was gratified nine years later when, under the Marriage Treaty between Charles II of Great Britain and the Infant Catherine of Portugal, the ‘Port and Island of Mumbai’ were transferred to the king of Great Britain.
After the transfer of the Port and Island to the East India Company by Royal Charter in 1668, development of the Port started taking shape. Various measures such as construction of a Custom house, a warehouse, dry docks etc. were taken up by the Company to encourage trade. In 1813, an act of the British Parliament ended the Company’s commercial monopoly. This resulted in a great spurt in the trade of the Port. The year 1858 witnessed the exit of East India Company, and passing of Mumbai under the direct rule of the British Crown. In 1873, the present statutory autonomous Port Trust was set up for administering the affairs of the Mumbai Port.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 revolutionised the maritime trade of Mumbai. It shifted the whole scenario of import and export trade from the East coast to the West and Mumbai port became the principal Gateway of India. The first wet dock constructed in India was the Sassoon Dock at Mumbai in 1875 followed by the Prince’s and Victoria Docks in 1880 and 1888 respectively. However, Princess and Victoria Dock are being filled up to convert the consultant area to make temporary stacking yard for containers in connection with "Offshore Container Terminal" in Indira Dock. The Alexandra Dock renamed Indira Dock in January 1972, the most modern of Mumbai’s docks, was constructed in 1904-1914. To handle petroleum products and liquid chemicals, a jetty was constructed at Pir Pau in 1923 and a new modern jetty capable of handling tankers of 47,000 Displacement tons was commissioned in December 1996. A modern oil terminal at Jawahar Dweep with three berths was constructed between 1952-1956, and the fourth oil berth capable of receiving tankers upto 1,25,000 Displacement tons was constructed between 1980-1984.
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