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Importance of Port of Chennai in Indian Maritime Route

Located on the southeastern coast, the Port of Chennai is one of the most important ports in the Indian maritime route and a famous shipping lane for the world. It has been serving the country’s commerce for nearly a century and with this fact, it is named among the third oldest ports in India. Keep reading further to know more about the port of Chennai and its importance!

Port of Chennai – General Overview 

The Port of Chennai is the first-ever dedicated container terminal which was opened back in 1983 and is currently operated by the Chennai Container Terminal Private Limited (CCTPL). Among the 13 largest ports, it is the third oldest port in the country. Although maritime trade started much earlier in 1639 before its official establishment, the Port became much more popular once it was fully developed. 

Formerly known as Madras Port, the Port of Chennai is an all-weather port that was once an important travel port before independence. After 1947, it became the major container port which now plays a key role in Indian commerce. At present, it is a primary factor leading to the thriving growth of Tamil Nadu and especially the manufacturing industry of the South. The Port of Chennai is the primary reason why Chennai is known as the Gateway of South India. [Learn more here: https://www.cogoport.com/ports/chennai-inmaa

The Importance of The Port of Chennai 

The Port of Chennai is a major hub for port containers, cargo and cars on the east coast of the country. From handling a restricted volume of cargo at the beginning of its existence to handling massive volumes of oil and automobile imports, the Port has begun handling over and about 60 million tonnes of cargo in recent times. 

Back in 2018, the container traffic of the port crossed 1 million TEUs, which is phenomenal. Further, in 2011, it was ranked as the 86th largest container port on the globe and there were plans for extending its capacity by 140 million tonnes per year, which is hopefully under execution. 

The port plays a major role in connecting India’s economy with the world. Note that, it connects India to around 50 major ports in the world. As far as its operations are considered, it operates 24 hours and 365 days regardless of season and weather, making it a continuous working hub. Another reason that makes the port of Chennai a very important part of India is its high efficiency. 

It boasts berthing on arrival, less than an hour of pre-berthing detention and an average turnover of merely two days, which accounts for its higher efficiency. It is worth noting that this Port has also established the first-ever Marine Pollution Management system in the country with an aim to protect and conserve marine life. Further, it is also working on extra land area by dredging and filling. This additional land work has resulted in 7.8 hectares of land behind the East Quay and will add around 60 hectares on the Gate 1 during its second stage. 

The significance of the Port of Chennai can be learned from the fact that during the 2010-11 shipping seasons, it handled more than 61.5 million tonnes of cargo single-handedly. Not just that, it handles nearly 20 million tons of iron ore and coal out of which 8 million tons is coal and the rest is iron ore.  During this period, the port also handled its first container terminal of over 1.5 million TEUs and a second terminal with more than thirty thousand TEUs. 

Today, the Port of Chennai is the sole reason behind the smooth functioning of the country’s manufacturing, textile and automobile sector. It not only contributes to India’s growing economy but also connects it globally.