More than a dozen companies, including DP World’s Indian unit Hindustan Ports, JSW Infrastructure, Essar Ports and Vedanta Group, have submitted bids to develop a new container terminal at Berth No. 7 of VO Chidambaranar (VOC) Port in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
The proposed terminal is estimated to cost ₹517.19 crore and will have an annual handling capacity of 4.2 lakh TEUs. The project is being offered under a public-private partnership (PPP) model by the VOC Port Authority.
Other bidders include Bothra Shipping Services, Orissa Stevedores, Gulftainer, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures, Vishwa Samudra Engineering, IMC, Ramky Infrastructure and Power Mech Projects.
Under the project, the existing Berth No. 7 will be upgraded to handle vessels of up to 12,100 TEUs, with a planned draft of 14.2 metres. The private operator will also undertake berth strengthening and install modern container-handling equipment, including quay cranes, electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes and electric tractor trailers.
Berth No. 7 was previously operated as a container terminal by PSA International until its exit in February 2025. VOC Port is now seeking to bring the berth back into container operations as cargo volumes continue to increase.
The port currently has two container terminals at Berths No. 8 and 9, which together handled 0.87 million TEUs in 2025-26, compared with 0.8 million TEUs a year earlier. Container traffic is projected to reach 2.56 million TEUs by March 2030, creating the need for additional capacity.
The successful bidder will be selected based on the highest royalty offered per TEU to the port authority. The royalty will be indexed annually to the Wholesale Price Index, while the private operator will be allowed to determine tariffs based on market conditions.
The new terminal is expected to commence operations by December 2029, adding capacity to VOC Port ahead of the projected growth in container traffic and supporting Thoothukudi’s position as a major container gateway on India’s east coast.