Paradip, Odisha's only major port and the first major port on the east coast commissioned after Independence

Background

In the news: Paradip Port's coal handling plant set a single-day loading record on 10 October 2026.
Paradip is the only major port in Odisha, located near the confluence of the Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal.
The port was envisioned by Biju Patnaik, then Chief Minister of Odisha, regarded as its founding father.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone on 3 January 1962; the Government of India took over its management from Odisha on 1 June 1965.
INS Investigator made the maiden berthing on 12 March 1966, when Yugoslav Prime Minister Peter Stambolic declared the port open.
On 18 April 1966 Paradip was declared the Eighth Major Port of India, the first major port on the east coast commissioned after Independence.
It now functions under the Major Port Authority Act, 2021, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.