Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for a slew of major infrastructure projects at the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, signalling a significant push to strengthen maritime capacity in southern Tamil Nadu.
At a function held at the port premises, the Minister launched nine key initiatives, including the V.O.C. Maritime Heritage Museum and an Artificial Intelligence-enabled virtual port model application designed to enhance operational efficiency. He also unveiled 21 new projects, among them the Rs 12-crore Korkai tourism development project and the upgradation of the port’s rail freight terminal connectivity road. Welfare assistance was distributed to several organisations under the port’s community development programme.
Addressing the gathering, Sonowal said infrastructure projects worth over Rs 3 lakh crore have been implemented across Tamil Nadu, covering highways, railways and port development. He noted that under the Sagarmala Programme, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme of the Ministry of Railways, efforts are being intensified to improve port-rail connectivity and logistics integration.
He further announced that a new shipbuilding facility, estimated at Rs 30,000 crore, will be established in Thoothukudi, positioning the region as a major maritime manufacturing hub. Under the Rs 15,000-crore Outer Harbour Development Project at V.O. Chidambaranar Port, the draft depth will be enhanced to 18 metres, enabling the handling of larger vessels and boosting cargo throughput.
Referring to India’s Maritime Vision 2030 and the long-term roadmap towards 2047, the Minister said the Centre is implementing reforms to modernise ports and expand capacity. He projected that by 2030, the cargo handling capacity of Indian ports will reach 10,000 million tonnes and reiterated the country’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu BJP President and MLA Nainar Nagendran, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority Chairman Sushant Kumar Purohit, Port Secretary Mohan Kumar and senior government officials.
