Nagapattinam Port

Nagapattinam Port
Nagapattinam Port
	Nagapattinam Port in 2004
	Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Location
Country	India
Location	Nagapattinam
Coordinates	13°05′04″N 80°17′24″E / 13.08441°N 80.2899°E
UN/LOCODE	IN NGG
Details
Opened	1881
Operated by	Nagapattinam Port Trust
Owned by	Nagapattinam Port Trust, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India
Type of harbour	Coastal breakwater, artificial, large seaport
UN/LOCODE	INNAA
Statistics
Annual cargo tonnage	10 lakh tonnes (2017–18)

Nagapattinam Port (nākappaṭṭinam, previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a port in the South Indian town of Nagapattinam in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a natural port located in the shores of Bay of Bengal. The port came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas (9th −12th century CE) and served as their important port for commerce and east bound naval expeditions. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781 CE. In November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India Company. The port was an important port for the colonial empires until Thoothukudi port became the primary port in the Coromandel Coast.

The modern day port has a commercial port complex and a dockyard that are protected by a river mouth sand bar facing the port. The port handles only limited amount of edible oil imports. The Nagapttinam lighthouse is the first conventional 20-metre-high (66 ft) lighthouse tower built inside the port premises by the British in 1869. The port and the lighthouse are maintained by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board under the Government of India.