On 9 May, 2013 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a proposal of Shipping Ministry to set up two major ports in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

The Ministry of Shipping has proposed to set up two ports under PPP mode, one in West Bengal and the other in Andhra Pradesh, at an investment of about Rs 15,820 crore.

The new port in West Bengal at Sagar Island will have a capacity of 54 million tpa. The project, estimated to cost Rs 7,820 crore will be built, following the extant procedures for project appraisal/approval, including obtaining environmental clearances. The need for this port was felt as the existing ports at Kolkata and Haldia were facing capacity constraints.

Another new port in Andhra Pradesh with 50 million tpa capacity will entail an investment of Rs 8,000 crore. The Andhra Pradesh Government has identified three locations - Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam, Ramayyapatnam in Prakasam and Dugarajapatnam in Nellore for the project