Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, on Monday inaugurated and dedicated projects worth Rs 1,500 crore at the V.O. Chidambaranar Port (VOC Port) in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin.
Spanning projects on rail and road connectivity, power infrastructure, renewable energy integration, advanced safety systems, and cutting-edge digital platforms, the Rs 1,500 crore is expected to boost the ecosystem in and around the major port.
“(These initiatives) aim to strengthen VOC Port’s position as a green and technologically advanced maritime hub”, Sonowal said on Monday.
Apart from logistics costs, the new projects are expected to accelerate industrial growth across the Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Madurai districts, attract investments from private players around the globe, and generate significant employment opportunities.
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Another highlight of Sonowal’s visit was the inauguration of the VOC Port Maritime Heritage Museum and the Korkai Retreat, two initiatives aimed at bringing out the cultural value of the port and Tuticorin as a city. The museum is also said to have been established in honour of the Tamil freedom fighter with the same name.
Sonowal also took stock of the developments at the port over the past two years, such as the development and commissioning of three new berths, the progress of its green methanol bunkering project on a commercial scale (that is expected to go on floors on March 17 this year), the AI-Powered Digital Twin system highlighted at the VOC Port’s event during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, and the status of the port’s flagship Outer Harbour project, among other things.
The February 23 visit is the shipping minister’s fourth in two years, as the port records a 6 per cent jump in cargo handling operations to 35.97 million tonnes, and container volumes also rose by 9.40 per cent to over 7.16 lakh TEUs from April 2025 to January 2026.
