Welcome to episode 35 of The Port Report from THE WEEK, with the latest updates from the maritime world for the week of October 10-16.
The Paradip Port notified a number of year-on-year milestones so far in FY 2026-27.
Steel coil cargo handling grew nearly eleven times to reach 1.36 lakh metric tonnes from about 13,000 metric tonnes last fiscal, while non-coking coal saw the next highest growth of more than 550 per cent to reach 1.04 lakh metric tonnes, as compared to 16,000 metric tonnes.
Ferro-Chrome cargo throughput also grew by more than 70 per cent, while calibrated lump ore handling spiked by more than 27 per cent.
Next, the Visakhapatnam Port handled 50 million metric tonnes of cargo in a record 196 days—which is 17 days earlier than it did in the last fiscal.
Moving on, the L&T Shipyard in Tamil Nadu’s Kattupalli delivered the INS Samarthak to the Indian Navy, which is the first in a series of multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) to be built by a private Indian shipyard. The ship was then commissioned on October 16.
Next, the Cochin Port in Kerala is all set to get India's first AI-driven immigration corridor, allowing international cruise travellers to clear border control by walking past a special camera system.
This pilot project from the Bureau of Immigration and the Indian Ports Association marks a major push for India's Cruise Bharat Mission.
This is also important to Kerala's Mission Samudra project, for which the state government had earlier proposed the construction of two cruise terminals—one in Kochi and another in Kozhikode.
Moving on, the Cochin Shipyard-built INS Mangrol was commissioned on October 12. This is the third Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) it has built for the Indian Navy, and features more than 80 per cent indigenous content.
Next, the V.O. Chidambaranar Port doubled its iron and steel materials cargo handling during April-September in FY 2026-27, as compared to the previous fiscal.
Also, on October 11, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for port projects under a ₹753-crore package, of which the largest investments were for the conversion of Berth No 7 into a container terminal and a 3-megawatt green hydrogen manufacturing and refuelling station.
ALSO READ | V.O. Chidambaranar Port to get new container terminal, green-fuel infrastructure in major maritime push
Other important projects inaugurated under the package included the green methanol bunkering and refuelling facility, and a 2-megawatt solar power plant.
Finally, the 21st meeting of the Maritime State Development Council in Mumbai on October 13 saw the Union shipping ministry set a March 2027 deadline for all ports to implement One Nation One Port Process reforms, covering documentation, port procedures and inter-ministerial processes.
Ports were also instructed to integrate with the Maritime Single Window, Sagar Setu—and publish tariffs electronically—by that deadline.
That's all from Port Report with THE WEEK, and we'll see you next week. For more updates from the maritime sector, visit the special microsite at theweek.in.
