CHENNAI: Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbanand Sonowal on Thursday inaugurated two completed projects and laid the foundation stone for four others at Chennai Port and Kamarajar Port, taking the combined investment to over Rs 235 crore.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat, Viksit Ports programme in Chennai, Sonowal said India’s ports are being repositioned as integrated logistics and trade facilitation hubs, with technology adoption, safety and sustainability forming the core of the transformation.
Sportspersons - former India cricketer L Balaji, basketball player Anita Pauldurai and squash champion Joshna Chinappa - were felicitated during the programme.
At Chennai Port, Sonowal inaugurated a Rs 45-crore Enterprise Business System, an enterprise-wide SAP-based digital platform designed to reduce paperwork, cut processing delays and enable real-time reporting. Officials said the system would significantly improve vessel turnaround times and transparency, easing the cost of doing business for shipping lines and cargo owners.
At neighbouring Kamarajar Port, the minister inaugurated the rehabilitated northern breakwater head, rebuilt at a cost of Rs 105 crore.
Foundation stones were laid for four additional projects - three at Chennai Port and one at Kamarajar Port. These include a Rs 33-crore coastal revetment to protect critical berths, an Rs 8-crore modernisation of the Chennai Port Hospital, and a Rs 43-crore high-capacity firefighting pump house at the oil dock area to safeguard energy-related assets.
At Kamarajar Port, a Rs 1.4-crore boundary wall project will strengthen security and enable smoother integration with the Northern Port Access Road and emerging multimodal freight corridors. In a parallel digital push, Sonowal launched the e-Port Clearance Portal under the Centre’s One Nation-One Port Process initiative. The platform will allow shipping lines and steamer agents to apply for and download port clearance certificates online, and improving predictability for vessel operations.