Indian Ports Association (IPA) was constituted in 1966 under societies Registration Act, primarily with the idea of fostering growth and development of all Major Ports which are under the supervisory control of Ministry of Shipping.

Over the years, IPA has consolidated its activities and grown strength by strength and considered to be a think tank for the Major Ports with the ultimate goal of integrating the maritime sector.

In just a short span of time IPA's proven expertise in ports is nothing but another milestone.

• To undertake and promote Techno-Economic Studies and Research into matters pertaining to the Planning Organization
• To offer complete solutions to Port Management and to create a resource of information as a tool for decision making.
• To efficiently promote the use of Work Study, Management Accounting Strategies and other top-of -the-line tools of Management with a view to increase effciency and productivity in ports.
• To bring together various national as well as international organisations involved in Port and Harbour Operations, Management and allied activities and to maintain liasion between ports, Ministry of Shipping and other Government agencies.
• To promote the culture of Uniformity and Standardisation in the port functioning

To make India as one of the major players in world maritime trade, creating the international standards in port operation and utilizing the great potentail in our country's 7517 km long coastline.

IPA with its enormous data bank undertakes the following activities on behest of our Ministry and other Government agencies:

• Monitoring of Shipping and Traffic related activities of all Major Ports.
• Analysis of Port Performance Indicators, Equipment Utilization and other productivity parameters and also maintaining the physical and financial progress of various port development projects.
• Providing technical and logistic support to our Ministry whenever required for various policy related Reports Committees, Reviews, Background notes etc., pertaining to Major Ports.
• To co-ordinate between the Government and the Ports in formulation of Five Year Plans for the Port Sector and also help in preparation of Annual Plans.

IPA, being the nodal agency for all Indian Major Ports, has taken forward Government?s initiative to establish a Centralized / Uniform Web based - Port Community System (PCS) covering all its Major Ports to move towards a paperless regime, as a part of its collective, collaborative and co-operative approach to EDI implementation, for the benefit of all the members of the Indian Port Community, covering non-major ports also.

With an incomparable infrastructure, IPA expanded into an inhouse professional body to offer its expertise through a full-fledged Consultancy Services Division. A few areas of excellence in the consultancy services are:

• Techno-Economic Feasibility studies on
  • Addition / Up gradation of Port Facilities
  • Development of Greenfield ports
• Appraisal of Port Projects
• National level studies related to Port Management and Operation

• National level study on Human Resource Management for Major Ports of India.
• Feasibility study for setting up Crude oil handling facilities at Kochi Port.
• Construction of a Deep Water Iron Ore berth with Mechanical Handling and other facilities at Paradip Port.
• Development of NCB for mechanized handling of coal at Tuticorin Port under Private Public Partnership.
• Construction of Second lock entrance at Haldia Dock Complex.
• Development of (i) International Ship repair complex and (ii) Development of Multi user Liquid Terminal at Cochin Port.
• Inner Harbor Development - Techno-Economic Appraisal and Traffic Studies for Tuticorin Port Trust.
• Revamping of Mechanical Ore Handling Plant at Vishakhapatnam Port Trust.
• India Port Sector Strategy ?Demand & capacity Assessment Study in collaboration with i-maritime Consulting Pvt. Ltd.(World Bank Study).

With the collection of more than 7000 books, periodicals and documents of immense importance, the IPA Library is the only library of its kind in India and of course serves as one-stop documentation center.

The reservoir of IPA Library comprises of publications related to Port Planning and Harbor Engineering, Operation and Management, Information Technology, etc. and journals, both Indian and foreign covering global maritime activities and of course, a well-documented compilation of Reports of various Government Committees, Expert Groups, World Bank, ILO, UNCTAD, IAPH etc.

The in-depth information acquired at IPA and the academic articles from the people who matter are shared through our publications, which are well received and most sought after by all concerned in Maritime Industry. The publications are:

• INDIAN PORTS - a quarterly journal that covers articles on academic interest related to maritime sector, port statistics and National and International news etc.
• MAJOR PORTS - A PROFILE - an annual publication, gives a comprehensive management information related to Cargo & Shipping, Port Productivity, Financial Results, Human Resources, Port Facilities of all the Major Ports with a brief on State Ports also.

• To widen IPA's horizons, a continuous co-ordination is maintained with international organizations like IAPH, World Bank, European Union, ESCAP, UNCAD, and ADB etc. IPA also undertakes the aligning of IMO, FAL, and SOLAS convention documents for implementation in Ports.
• IPA is regularly consulted by the apex national bodies like CII, ASSOCHAM, CONCOR, RITES, FICCI, and TERI etc.
• IPA also supports its two national level training institutes of repute viz. Indian Institute of Port Management, Kolkata and National Institute of Port Management, Chennai.

• IPA is committed to moving ahead from strength to strength. The future beckons us to go still further. Indian Ports are in a healthy state. Yet it is IPA?s endeavor to set even higher standards for them. Further expansion, modernization, and diversification are the keywords for future development of the Ports. No wonder, you understand India's prosperity when you take a look at its Ports. We are strong today, and our vision sees us stronger tomorrow.