Why in News?
On July 7, 2026, Kamarajar Port achieved a historic milestone by becoming India's second Major Port to offer an 18-metre operational draft capability, following Visakhapatnam Port.
The Dredging Milestone
- The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced that this upgrade allows the deep-water facility to safely accommodate fully laden Capesize vessels carrying up to 1,70,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT).
- Project Scale: Achieved via the successful completion of the Capital Dredging Phase VI project.
- Financial Investment: Completed at a total cost of ₹440 crore.
- Structural Deepening: The project lowered the outer approach channel from 20m to 23m, and the inner entrance channel from 19m to 22m.
- Economic Impact: Enables larger shipping liners to deploy massive vessels, significantly lowering ocean freight costs via economies of scale.
Other Major Projects (2026–2027)
- Second Container Terminal: Secured a development timeline for 2027 for a second terminal valued at ₹4,300 crore.
- Capacity Boost: The upcoming terminal expands logistics to handle 2 million TEUs and allow up to four motherships to dock simultaneously.
- Bulk Terminal Blueprint: Actively reviewing bids for two additional bulk cargo berths under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models.
- Green Shore Power: Pioneering eco-friendly transitions by pushing international cargo ships to use a dedicated 500 KW shore-to-ship power facility to eliminate idling diesel emissions.
Port Profile & Governance
- Location: Located along the Coromandel Coast in Ennore, roughly 24 km north of Chennai Port.
- Unique Corporate Structure: It remains the only corporatised major port in India registered explicitly as a public company.
- Ownership: Owned by Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL), where the Chennai Port Trust holds a controlling 100% stake.
- Primary Commodities: Acts as a major hub for Thermal Coal, Automobiles, LPG, POL, and project cargo.
- National Goals: Directly contributes to the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 frameworks.
- Trade Efficiency: Aims to establish the port as a global mega-gateway to optimize India's Export-Import (EXIM) trade.
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