VOC Port handles 29.70 million tonne cargo, sets eyes on becoming gateway of south India

THOOTHUKUDI:Iconic Thoothukudi VO Chidambaranar Port has registered a new landmark handling a cargo volume of 29.70 million tonnes, including 5.62 lakh TEUs of containers, till December 19 during this financial year 2024-25.

The hub of economic activity in south Tamil Nadu, the port's handling of cargo has seen a marked increase of 1.87% in cargo volume and 6.74% in TEUs. With the ever-increasing trend in cargo handling, the port has initiated several strategic capacity augmentation and cargo evacuation initiatives to increase throughput, enhance handling efficiency and expand its market share in the region.

Susanta Kumar Purohit, Chairperson, VOC Port Authority, stated that ‘with the advantages of being the all-weather port and strategic location close to east-west International sea route, it has an immense potential to become gateway port of south India. The lowest turnaround time of container ships, well-established logistics support systems, seamless road and rail connectivity, upcoming industries and capacity augmentation initiatives, are an added advantage, he said.

The port’s 3rd Container Terminal ‘Tuticorin International Container Terminal’, became operational with a draft of 14.20 metres and LOA of 370 metres to give a fillip to the container trade. The terminal has commenced its operations with a capacity to handle six lakh TUEs per annum.

To augment the capacity of the bulk cargo handling at the port, the north cargo berth-III (NCB-3) with a Length Overall (LOA) of 306 metres will be dredged by the port in February 2025 to handle vessels up to 14.20 metres draft.

The dredging will also be done parallel to the entrance channel, approach channel and turning circle area of the port. The interim operations of the terminal on completion of dredging will commence using two harbour mobile cranes with a capacity of 100 – 120 tonnes by the end of January 2025.

The NCB-3 will be mechanised by December 2026 with shore unloaders capable of discharging seven million tonnes per annum.

In order to accommodate ships with a beam of 49 metres and LOA of 366, widening of the port’s entrance channel from 152.40 metres to 230 metres has also been taken up.

The port has also initiated a proposal for the construction of berth ten at an approximate cost of Rs 80 crore. The berth already has a draft of 10.70 metres and will be dredged to 14.50 metres in the near future.