Kamarajar Port becomes India's second deep-draft major port
Tamil Nadu gateway can now handle fully laden Capesize vessels after Phase VI dredging
Kamarajar Port has become the second major Indian port able to work at an 18-metre operational draft, after finishing the sixth phase of its capital dredging programme at the Tamil Nadu gateway. The roughly ₹440 crore project — about $46m — lets the port accept fully laden Capesize vessels carrying parcels of up to 170,000 DWT, a capability previously matched among India's major ports only by Visakhapatnam.
The dredging deepened the outer approach channel from 20 metres to 23 metres and the inner entrance channel from 19 metres to 22 metres, and also covered the berth-side zones, harbour basin and navigational areas needed for 18-metre-draft operations. Port officials expect the extra depth to let carriers bring in larger bulkers, cutting freight costs through economies of scale and improving cargo-handling efficiency.
The country's ports and shipping ministry described the milestone as turning the site into a deep-draft, Cape-compliant port. Formerly known as Ennore Port and incorporated in 1999, Kamarajar operates under a landlord model as part of the Chennai Port Authority.
