The Chennai Port Authority (ChPA) has launched a digital system, 'Port Setu', to better track the movement of export containers on the road between inland warehouses and the port gate.
Developed by the Chennai chapter of the National Association of Container Freight Stations (NACFS), Port Setu went live on September 17 and was formally launched earlier this week.
This is one of the major new tech developments at the port, and comes just a month after the Chennai Container Terminal Private Limited (CCTPL) achieved its highest-ever container cargo throughput in a decade in September, handling 89,743 TEUs across 36 vessels.
The launch of Port Setu marks the first phase of the Intelligent Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) that is being implemented as a part of the Centre's One Nation One Port Process (ONOP) initiative to streamline and digitise procedures across India's ports.
It records the time taken by vehicles to move containers from a container freight station to the port, using Automatic Number Plate Recognition, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and RFID readers—all linked to the Chennai Customs' ICEGATE platform.
Apart from better container tracking and boosting turnaround time by adding one extra round trip for every six trips, Port Setu also digitises the verification process and serves as a common platform for the Chennai Customs, ChPA, and CFSs to monitor container handling.
Phase two of the IVMS will be implemented by the container terminals at the port, which will see processes like the verification of seal intactness get digitised.
"With the implementation of Phase 2, gate-entry procedures at Chennai Port are envisaged to become completely digital and paperless, further advancing the objectives of the ONOP Initiative," the ChPA said in a statement.
The port is also set to get a replacement for its S-band Doppler weather radar in 2027 from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
It said it would "manage" with the existing radar, which began operations more than 20 years ago, but is being maintained for operations ahead of the Oct-Dec northeast monsoons, as per a Times of India report citing IMD Director General of Meteorology, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
The German-made S-band radar has a range of about 500km and is important for tracking cyclones and other large weather systems, in addition to monitoring rain-bearing clouds.
The IMD also plans to collaborate with the state government to install four of these radars in Yercaud, Trichy, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram—all of which are situated in the interior of Tamil Nadu.
This tech push is part of a national plan to add 16 radars by March 2027, in a bid to "(ensure) redundancy, while creating a denser radar network along the coast and strengthening coverage in hilly and urban areas", Mohapatra added.
