Karnataka's coastline, known as Karavali, stretches 300 km between Mangalore in the Dakshina Kannada district and Karwar in the Uttara Kannada district. This coastline runs along the eastern shore of the Arabian Sea. Karnataka has one major and ten minor ports in this coastal belt. Important rivers in this area, including the Kali, Belekeri, Gangavali, Aghanashini Sharavathi, Sharabi, Kollur, Gangolli, Sitanadi, Gurpur, and Netravati, flow into the Arabian Sea. Sea erosion, the migration of river mouths, and siltation of ports and harbours are some of the common problems facing this region.
The development of ports is a state subject, and the Government of Karnataka established the Department of Ports and Inland Water Transport in 1957. The department maintains one major port and ten minor ports between Mangalore in the south and Karwar in the north. The only major port is the New Mangalore Port. The minor ports are located at Karwar, Old Mangalore, Belekeri, Tadadi, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Hangarakatta, Malpe, and Padubidri. Of these, Karwar is the only all-weather port, while the others are riverine fair-weather lighterage ports.
In light of the economic reforms implemented by the central government in the early 1990s, the Karnataka government has also been making serious efforts to improve its port infrastructure. In 1997, a "Port Policy" was formulated to develop all ports with private participation. The policy is based on the BOOST (Build-Own-Operate-Share and Transfer) concept and primarily aims to improve cargo handling capacity.