Visakhapatnam Port gets projects worth ₹560 crore as it looks to let the city back in

At Visakhapatnam Port, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal dedicated a new waterfront promenade to the public and laid the foundation for projects worth about ₹560 crore.

The ₹19-crore promenade runs 710 metres along the waterfront, from the Venkateswara Temple to the International Cruise Terminal. It covers 5.5 acres and includes a walkway, two viewing decks, a park, a public plaza, a children’s play area, a food court and parking.

“It opens up the port to the city,” Sonowal said. “This project is dedicated to the people of Visakhapatnam.” This is a far cry from usual port infrastructure, which is often physically and socially cut off from the cities around them. Port-led growth is proven to bring employment and trade, but also congestion, pollution and unequal access to waterfront land. A promenade might not solve those problems, but the Centre expects it to be a gesture, an acknowledgement that the port is not only a cargo facility.

The latest investments are mostly commercial. MoPSW Sonowal laid foundation stones for three contracts to operate and maintain cargo terminals at the WQ-1, WQ-1RE, WQ-2, WQ-3 and EQ-3 berths. The contracts are worth about ₹580 crore and are expected to employ about 500 local people.

“Through these projects, VPA will secure assured cargo throughput and achieve optimum capacity utilisation in these berths,” Sonowal said.

The port is also set to upgrade its sewage-treatment capacity from 10 million litres a day to 15 million litres. Treated water will be used for dust suppression and road wetting, and is part of the Centre’s Harit Sagar green-port initiative.

Visakhapatnam Port handled a record 91.17 million metric tonnes of cargo in 2025–26, up 10 per cent YoY. It was the port’s fourth consecutive year of growth.