Chennai Port Marks its Presence at IMW 2025, Fetches ₹42,117 Crs Worth investment through 33 MoUs

Chennai:

Port Wings News Network:

India Maritime Week 2025 (IMW 2025), held from 27 – 31 October 2025 at the NESCO Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, concluded on a grand note, reaffirming India’s prominent position in the global maritime arena.

Organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the five-day event brought together over 100,000 participants from 85+ countries, including 500 exhibitors, 350 speakers, and 12 concurrent conferences and exhibitions under the theme “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision.”

IMW 2025 showcased India’s maritime resurgence, highlighting its roadmap to reach among the top 5 maritime nations in the world by 2047, anchored in sustainability, innovation, and collaboration.

Inaugural Ceremony & Dignitaries

The event was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in the presence of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Odisha, Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and was attended by international delegates, foreign ministers, senior government officials, diplomats, industry leaders, maritime professionals, students, academicians, investors and startups.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the maritime sector as “a symbol of India’s strength, stability, and sustainability.”

He said, “This is India’s maritime moment — one that is transforming the Gateway of India into the Gateway of the World.” Shah highlighted that India’s 11,000 km coastline, 13 coastal states, and vast Exclusive Economic Zone make it a natural maritime power, and reaffirmed the government’s focus on green corridors, port digitalisation, and seamless connectivity under the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal termed IMW 2025 as “a turning point in India’s maritime journey.” He noted that India aims to triple its share of global seaborne trade by 2047, supported by major port capacity expansion, inland waterways development, and new deep-draft ports.

The closing address was delivered by Sunil Paliwal, Chairman, Indian Ports Association and Chennai & Kamarajar Ports, who reaffirmed that Indian ports are committed to achieving global standards of efficiency, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation in alignment with the national maritime vision for 2047.

Address by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

On Day 3 of IMW 2025, 29 October 2025, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, addressed the Global Maritime CEO Forum and chaired the Maritime Leaders Conclave.

He stated: “In the 21st century, India’s maritime sector is advancing with great speed and energy.” Highlighting reforms, he explained that India has replaced century-old shipping laws with “modern, futuristic legislation suited for the 21st century.”

Reflecting on India’s role amid global supply-chain shifts, he concluded: “When the global seas are rough, the world looks for a steady lighthouse — and India is well-poised to play that role with strength and stability.”

Chennai Port Authority’s Prominent Role at IMW 2025

As a premier maritime gateway of Tamil Nadu, Chennai Port Authority (ChPA) played a pivotal role throughout IMW 2025, focusing on trade facilitation, infrastructure investment, cruise development, and innovation.

Signing of 33 MoUs worth ₹42,117 crore

ChPA entered into 33 Memorandum of Understanding spanning infrastructure, technology, sustainability, trade facilitation, research, and training & development.

These commitments reflect ChPA’s strategic ambition to upgrade capacity, accelerate digitalisation, and partner with private and institutional stakeholders. Within the IMW 2025 national investment framework — which saw over ₹12 lakh crore in MoUs — ChPA emerged among the leading contributors.

Cruise Tourism Expansion: Home-porting for Cordelia Cruises

Jurgen Bailom, President and CEO of Waterways Leisure Tourism along with Chennai Port, announced the initiation of home-porting plans for Cordelia Cruises at Chennai Port by 2027, marking a key milestone for Tamil Nadu’s and India’s emerging cruise and coastal tourism economy.

Tamil Nadu State Session: Policy Integration and Investor Engagement

Chennai Port Authority (ChPA) convened the Tamil Nadu State Session, chaired by E. V. Velu, Minister for Public Works (Buildings, Highways & Minor Ports), and TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce. The ministers underscored Tamil Nadu’s maritime backbone—anchored by its major and non-major ports—and the State’s focus on port modernisation, seamless hinterland connectivity, and catalytic private-sector partnerships.

“When Tamil Nadu shines, India shines brighter,” said TRB Rajaa, outlining the State’s aspiration to emerge as a global manufacturing and maritime-innovation hub on the strength of robust infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and clear policy support.

The session drew senior participation from Government and industry, including: Dr. K. Manivasan (Addl. Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowments); V. Arun Roy (Secretary, Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce); Dr. Darez Ahamed (MD & CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu); T. N. Venkatesh (VC & CEO, Tamil Nadu Maritime Board); Susanta Kumar Purohit (Chairman, V. O. Chidambaranar Port Authority); S. Viswanathan (Deputy Chairman, Chennai Port Authority); H. Shankar (MD, CPCL); Rinkesh Roy (Joint MD & CEO, JSW Infrastructure); Jürgen Bailom (President & CEO, Waterways Leisure Tourism); Ravi Shankar Yandapalli (MD, Mahathi Group); Muthu Maruthachalam C (President & COO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles); Bidyut Chakraborty (VP–Commercial, Sembcorp Industries); Paras Pal (JGM—BD & Marketing, L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli); and Karthikeyan (GM, Hyundai Motor India).

Their presence reflected strong government–industry alignment to advance Tamil Nadu’s maritime, industrial, and investment ecosystem—positioning the State at the forefront of India’s blue economy and global trade integration.

In his remarks, Sunil Paliwal, Chairman, Chennai Port Authority & Kamarajar Port Limited, highlighted the ports’ pivotal role in Tamil Nadu’s export-led growth, enabling sectors such as automobiles, petrochemicals, electronics, glass, machinery, renewables, engineering goods, textiles, agri-products, and leather. He emphasised ongoing efforts to strengthen logistics connectivity and support Tamil Nadu’s vision of a $1-trillion economy.

Through this session, ChPA reinforced its role as Tamil Nadu’s anchor port entity—providing a high-credibility platform for policy integration, investor engagement, and collaborative execution of the State’s maritime vision.

Visitor Engagement & B2B Meetings

More than 5,000 visitors visited the ChPA pavilion, where over 25 CXO-level and 5+ MD-level meetings were held. These engagements facilitated new partnerships, investment opportunities, and trade dialogues.

Extensive Media Outreach

ChPA’s upcoming projects, start-up collaborations, and digital initiatives received extensive print and digital coverage, amplifying awareness of the port’s growth trajectory across Tamil Nadu and India.

Looking Ahead The outcomes of IMW 2025 provide a powerful launchpad to Chennai Port Authority for accelerating its infrastructure roadmap, strengthening international collaborations, and expanding its role in cruise tourism, hinterland connectivity, and digital port operations. As India moves toward the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, Chennai Port will be a key driver of Tamil Nadu’s $1 trillion economy goal. The Port is poised to power Tamil Nadu’s growth story by strengthening trade links, logistics efficiency, and global competitiveness.

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