Tamil Nadu Maritime Board is planning to develop a new port at Cuddalore. The greenfield port would be established near the old port with an initial investment of 1,500 crore to 2,000 crore.
It is the second port that the state’s maritime board is setting up, more than 10 years after developing the minor port at Kattupalli, about 30km north of Chennai. The proposed port in Cuddalore will have a capacity to handle 13.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum initially and scaled up to 40 million tonnes later. It will handle international cargo traffic and coastal shipping.
While 10 berths would be developed in the first phase, the number of berths would be increased to 25 with the seafront covering a distance of 3.6 km. It entails an investment of an additional 2,000 crore. The green field port will be developed under the PPP model, sources with the TN Maritime Board said.
“Cuddalore has a demand and potential for a new port because of its strategic central location. It will also help industrial growth in the region attracting new industries. Moreover, the port will come in handy for coastal shipping to move goods such as cotton bales required for TN’s textile sector from Gujarat and Maharashtra reducing the transportation cost when compared with moving by road,” M Vallalar, vice chairman and CEO, TN Maritime Board said.
Annually, the state requires 120 lakh bales of cotton (each bale weighing 170 kg). The development comes in the wake of plans to develop the existing (old) port at Cuddalore did not take off.
Following this, the proposal is split with a focus on establishing a new port. It will come up two km away from the old port in an area of 1,200 acres.
The Tamil Nadu infrastructure development board will float tenders inviting bids for developing the new port in the next two months, sources added. It would take five years to develop the new port after finalising the successful bidder.