India’s VOC Chidambaranar Port accelerates berth upgrades and logistics expansion to handle projected cargo surge by 2029–2030

VOC Chidambaranar Port Authority in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu is fast‑tracking a major infrastructure development plan as total cargo traffic is projected to reach around 53.25 million tonnes by the 2029–2030 fiscal year. The centrepiece is the upgrade of Berth No. 7 into a modern container terminal, deepening the draft from 11.7 m to about 14.2 m, enabling the handling of container vessels up to roughly 12,100 TEU and providing annual capacity of some 420,000 TEU. In parallel, the port reports that construction of Multi‑Cargo Berth No. 10 is about 70% complete, with an initial capacity of around 4 million tonnes per year, scalable to over 10 million tonnes once the berth’s draft is increased. The plan also includes a 3‑million‑litre‑per‑day seawater reverse‑osmosis desalination plant and a new 40‑acre customs‑bonded area to expand bulk cargo stacking and improve road links to upcoming green hydrogen facilities.