What Is the World Port Index (Pub 150)?

Almost every physical detail you see on a port page across The Port Index — the depths, the harbour type, the available facilities — traces back to a single remarkable dataset: the World Port Index, also known as Pub 150. Here is what it is and why it underpins so much of how the world understands ports.

What is the World Port Index?

The World Port Index is a reference publication produced by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). It documents the location and physical characteristics of major ports and terminals around the world — roughly 3,800 of them — and is updated on a regular cycle. Each port entry carries over a hundred individual data points.

What information does it contain?

For each port, the index records details such as:

• Geographic position (latitude and longitude) and the body of water it sits on
• Harbour type, size, and the shelter it affords from weather
• Channel, anchorage, and cargo pier depths, plus maximum vessel dimensions
• Entrance restrictions — tide, ice, heavy swell, overhead limits
• Available services: pilotage, tugs, repairs, dry dock, fuel and supplies
• Cargo-handling facilities such as container, RoRo, liquid and solid bulk

Why is it free to use?

The World Port Index is a work of the U.S. federal government, which places it in the public domain under U.S. copyright law. That means anyone can use, redistribute, and build on the data without a licence fee — which is precisely what makes a free, comprehensive port directory like this one possible.

How The Port Index uses it

We take the raw World Port Index data, clean and normalise it, and present each port on its own page — adding computed extras like the nearest ports and great-circle distances to major hubs. Where the source records a value of zero or leaves a field blank, we show it as “not reported” rather than implying a measurement that does not exist. You can read more about our approach on the about page.

An important caveat

The World Port Index is an outstanding overview, but it is a reference — not a navigational authority. Conditions change, dredging happens, and individual berths vary. For any operational decision, mariners rely on official charts, sailing directions, and the port authority itself. Treat the figures here, and in the index, as a well-informed starting point. To see it in action, look at a detailed entry like the Port of Hamburg or browse the full directory of ports.