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Chennai Port Authority has achieved a historic milestone by recording an all-time high cargo throughput of 57.9 million tonnes during FY 2025–26, marking a strong overall growth of 5.35 percent compared to the previous financial year. The achievement highlights the port’s resilience, operational efficiency, and strategic focus amid evolving global shipping dynamics and supply chain disruptions.
The port registered robust growth across its key business verticals, reinforcing its position as one of India’s leading maritime gateways. Container handling emerged as one of the strongest growth drivers, with Chennai Port handling 1.94 million TEUs during the financial year. This represents a 6.59 percent year-on-year growth and the highest-ever container handling performance achieved by the port.
The automobile segment also witnessed impressive momentum, with Chennai Port handling over two lakh cars during FY 2025–26. The segment recorded a 7.4 percent year-on-year increase, surpassing the previous year’s performance and strengthening the port’s reputation as a major automobile export hub in the country.
In addition to containers and cars, Chennai Port also reported significant progress in the clean cargo segment. The port successfully attracted new clean cargo commodities such as pulses, food grains, bagged rice, and other diversified cargo categories. This strategic diversification is expected to further strengthen the port’s cargo profile and support sustainable trade growth in the coming years.
Crude cargo handling also achieved record-breaking numbers, with the port handling 11.45 million tonnes of crude during FY 2025–26. The segment registered an impressive 11.17 percent year-on-year growth, making it the highest-ever crude handling performance in the port’s history.
Despite uncertainties in global trade and logistical disruptions affecting shipping lines worldwide, Chennai Port maintained operational continuity and sustained its growth trajectory. The performance reflects the port’s infrastructure strength, efficient cargo management systems, and coordinated efforts between various stakeholders.
Chennai Port Authority expressed gratitude to all stakeholders, port users, shipping partners, logistics operators, and associated agencies for their continued support and contribution toward achieving this milestone. The authority reiterated its commitment to building on this momentum and further strengthening Chennai Port’s role in driving India’s maritime trade and economic growth.
With its strategic “4Cs” focus — Containers, Cars, Clean Cargo, and Crude — Chennai Port continues to power progress and play a crucial role in advancing India’s trade ambitions on the global stage.
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Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening gender diversity and inclusion in India’s maritime ecosystem, while saluting the growing contribution of women seafarers on the occasion of the International Day for Women in Maritime 2026. Marking the global observance, Sonowal said India is witnessing a significant rise in the number of women joining the maritime workforce, driven by sustained policy reforms, enhanced training opportunities and a stronger push for gender equality across the sector. The minister noted that “Nari Shakti” is increasingly taking leadership roles and contributing to a more inclusive and future-ready maritime industry. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, along with the Directorate General of Shipping, commemorated the occasion through industry engagements and outreach initiatives celebrating the achievements of women professionals across shipping, logistics and maritime services. Events held in Kolkata brought together women seafarers, cadets, maritime professionals and industry stakeholders to discuss opportunities, skill development and leadership pathways for women in the sector. India’s maritime sector has been actively working towards increasing women’s participation in seafaring and shore-based operations. Over the past few years, the government has introduced reforms focused on recruitment, retention and career progression for women professionals in maritime industries. Industry experts believe these measures are helping address the long-standing gender imbalance in global shipping and logistics. The International Maritime Organization’s theme, “An Ocean of Opportunities for Women,” continues to resonate strongly with India’s maritime vision, particularly as the country accelerates investments in port-led development, coastal shipping and maritime logistics infrastructure. The observance also highlighted inspiring examples of Indian women taking on challenging maritime assignments and leadership roles, reflecting the changing dynamics of the sector. Stakeholders noted that improving diversity in shipping not only enhances workforce participation but also supports innovation, operational resilience and sustainable growth across global supply chains. With India positioning itself as a major maritime and logistics hub under initiatives such as Maritime India Vision 2030 and Sagarmala, industry leaders believe empowering women professionals will remain critical to building a competitive and globally integrated maritime economy. The government has reiterated that creating a safe, equitable and opportunity-driven ecosystem for women will continue to be a priority as India expands its footprint in international shipping and maritime trade. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 https://cargoconnect.co.in/ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
Hapag-Lloyd has launched a new initiative aimed at increasing women’s participation in maritime careers, marking a significant step toward improving gender diversity in the global shipping industry. The company’s newly introduced “Shefarer Program” seeks to create long-term career opportunities for women at sea while strengthening inclusion across onboard operations. Developed in collaboration with crewing and maritime training partners Jebsen PTC, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (Germany) GmbH, and Marlow Navigation Co. Ltd, the program introduces a series of measures designed to attract more women into seafaring professions and support their professional growth onboard vessels. A key pillar of the initiative is talent development. Hapag-Lloyd said that at least 20 percent of all future trainee intakes will consist of female cadets. The target will also extend to the company’s international recruitment pipeline, particularly among young maritime professionals from the Philippines, one of the world’s largest seafarer talent pools. The company is also introducing designated “Shefarer vessels,” where multiple women seafarers will serve together across various functions and ranks, including cadets, engineers, officers, oilers and captains. The objective is to normalize female representation onboard and create a more inclusive work culture where women are viewed as an integral part of ship operations rather than exceptions. To improve onboard living and working conditions, Hapag-Lloyd will invest in dedicated facilities for women across all upcoming newbuild vessels entering service in the coming years. These enhancements include separate changing rooms, showers and sanitary areas aimed at supporting a safer and more comfortable environment for female crew members. Commenting on the initiative, Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director Fleet at Hapag-Lloyd, said mixed crews contribute to stronger collaboration, communication and mutual respect onboard. She added that the company aims to increase the visibility of women in maritime careers while creating sustainable pathways for professional advancement at sea. Women currently account for 5.71 percent of Hapag-Lloyd’s global crew, while four female captains are actively serving across the company’s fleet. The Shefarer Program forms part of the carrier’s broader strategy to make maritime professions more attractive to future talent and address workforce diversity challenges in the shipping sector. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 https://cargoconnect.co.in/ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
In a significant move aimed at accelerating India’s maritime transformation, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has intensified its engagement with global and domestic shipping lines to strengthen the country’s maritime and logistics ecosystem. Shri Vijay Kumar, Secretary, MoPSW, recently held one-on-one interactions with representatives from leading shipping companies at the Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, reinforcing the government’s collaborative approach toward industry-led growth. The discussions focused on understanding the expansion plans of shipping operators, operational bottlenecks, infrastructure requirements, and policy-related concerns affecting business efficiency. Industry stakeholders also shared perspectives on capacity enhancement, regulatory facilitation, and measures required to improve India’s competitiveness in global shipping and trade. The consultations form part of the government’s broader strategy to position India as a leading maritime and logistics hub under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 and Maritime India Vision initiatives. The ministry has been consistently promoting port modernisation, digitalisation, sustainability, and multimodal logistics integration to support growing trade volumes and reduce logistics costs. Officials highlighted that India’s maritime sector is undergoing rapid transformation driven by infrastructure expansion, mechanisation, and increased private sector participation. The government has also prioritised shipbuilding, coastal shipping, inland waterways, and green maritime initiatives to enhance India’s role in the global maritime value chain. The latest stakeholder engagement reflects the ministry’s emphasis on policy facilitation through direct industry consultation. By opening dialogue with shipping lines, the government aims to address operational challenges more effectively while encouraging long-term investments across ports, shipping services, logistics infrastructure, and maritime connectivity. India’s maritime ambitions are closely aligned with initiatives such as Sagarmala, which seeks to promote port-led development and improve cargo movement efficiency through enhanced port connectivity and integrated logistics infrastructure. The programme continues to play a critical role in reducing supply chain costs and boosting export competitiveness. The engagement with shipping lines also comes at a time when global maritime players are increasingly exploring opportunities in India. Several international operators have shown interest in expanding investments in shipbuilding, terminals, and logistics services, underlining growing confidence in India’s maritime growth trajectory. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 https://cargoconnect.co.in/ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
