Tamil Nadu’s V O Chidambaranar Port, a leading maritime gateway, is steering towards a green future with investments worth ₹41,860 crore to position itself as India’s Green Hydrogen-Ammonia Hub. The ambitious initiative was unveiled as the Port also announced significant strides in cargo handling, underlining its strategic importance to South India’s logistics landscape.
Having handled 29.70 million tonnes of cargo and 5.62 lakh TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of containers up to December 19, 2024, the Port has recorded an overall growth of 1.87% in cargo and 6.74% in container handling.
Port Chairperson Susanta Kumar Purohit emphasised the strategic advantages of V O Chidambaranar, highlighting its position near the East-West International sea route, efficient turnaround times for container ships, and seamless connectivity via road and rail. He stated, “VOC Port is poised to emerge as the gateway port of South India, driving regional and national growth through forward-looking investments and capacity-building initiatives.”
As part of its green energy mission, the Port has allocated 501 acres of land to four companies for developing Green Hydrogen-Ammonia manufacturing and storage facilities. The pilot project demonstrating green hydrogen production, storage, and power generation using fuel cells is on track for completion by January 2025. Additionally, a pilot bunkering project will showcase capabilities for green hydrogen refuelling and bunkering operations.
In line with its capacity augmentation plans, VOC Port is widening its entrance channel from 152.40 metres to 230 metres to accommodate larger vessels. It has also announced the construction of a 440-metre-long Berth 10 at a cost of ₹80 crore for bulk cargo ships and new infrastructure to handle smaller vessels by mid-2025.
The transformative vision of V O Chidambaranar Port underscores its pivotal role in advancing India’s green energy transition and cementing its place as a logistics powerhouse in the region.
