MoPSW Secretary Visits Chennai Port; Reviews Infrastructure Projects

Chennai:

Port Wings News Network:

Secretary (Shipping), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Government of India, Vijay Kumar, I.A.S., visited Chennai Port Authority on 13 November 2026.

Sachin S. Kurve, I.A.S., Chairperson Chennai Port Authority and S. Viswanathan, I.A.S., Deputy Chairperson Chennai Port Authority welcomed the Secretary in the port premises.

J.P. Irene Cynthia, I.A.S., Managing Director, Kamarajar Port Limited and Anugraha P, I.A.S. Chief Vigilance Officer, Chennai Port Authority, accompanied the senior port officials during the visit.

The visit focused on reviewing infrastructure development, assessing stakeholder requirements and deliberating on initiatives to strengthen the Port’s cargo-handling capabilities and trade connectivity.

During the visit, the Secretary interacted with senior Port officials and reviewed the Port’s operational performance, recent achievements and ongoing infrastructure development initiatives.

The visit included inspections of Jawahar Dock (East and West), EXIM sheds, Marshalling Yard, EC Landing, internal road infrastructure and Bharathi Dock-II. A tug ride to the proposed Outer Harbour Project area provided an opportunity to review the proposed development and deliberate on its strategic significance in augmenting container-handling capacity and strengthening Chennai Port’s position in India’s maritime trade.

A Stakeholder Consultation Meeting, chaired by the Secretary, was subsequently held with representatives from shipping lines, container train operators, terminal operators, logistics companies, trade associations and other port users.

The discussions focused on stakeholder requirements, operational challenges and measures to improve trade facilitation across key areas, including the Non-Containerised Cargo Incentive Scheme (NCCS), Dedicated Trade Facilitation Cell, Integrated Anchorage Services, Empty Container Pooling Yard, Rail Connectivity (CPCRPS), Transhipment facilitation, storage infrastructure and digitisation under the One Nation One Port (ONOP) initiative.

The stakeholders appreciated the measures taken by Chennai Port Authority to facilitate trade with various measures during the time of global disruptions persisting in maritime sector. The discussion provided the opportunity to understand from the trade; the need for capacity addition, more storage facilities and extending the digitization to import processes. Currently, the entire process of exporting containers are digitized at Chennai Port. Major companies like Hyundai, Indian Oil Corporation, Suryadev Alloys and Power Ltd, and other shared their growth projections and emphasized the requirement for infrastructure projects like the proposed Outer Harbor Project, Dedicated Berths for Iron ore fines, additional storage area and the Multi-Level Car Parking Project within Chennai Port.

A key highlight of the meeting was the exchange of three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Chennai Port Authority and industry partners to promote cargo growth and strengthen multimodal connectivity:

MinSotrans: An MoU for handling a committed volume of approximately 1 million metric tonnes of Dry Bulk cargo over three years under the NCCS framework, promoting sustained cargo volumes through Chennai Port.

TCI Seaways: An MoU for container facilitation through the BIMSTEC framework by commencing a container service between Ranagong Port, Thailand, and Chennai Port, with the objective of strengthening regional maritime connectivity.

Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC): An MoU for railway facilitation and joint promotion of rail-bound container traffic, with a focus on enhancing rail-based cargo movement through Chennai Port.

The Secretary (Shipping), MoPSW emphasized that Chennai Port will continue to have sustained engagement with trade stakeholders, addressing operational bottlenecks and strengthening infrastructure, increasing capacity, building on the momentum to digitize the port processes, and strengthen the multimodal connectivity to improve the Port’s competitiveness.

The deliberations also highlighted the need for coordinated efforts between the Port Authority and industry partners to facilitate new cargo streams, improve logistics efficiency and support the development of Chennai Port’s proposed Outer Harbour.

The visit and stakeholder consultations reaffirmed Chennai Port Authority’s commitment to infrastructure development, stakeholder-centric trade facilitation and collaborative initiatives aimed at enhancing cargo throughput and strengthening the Port’s role as a major maritime gateway of India.