MADURAI: V O Chidambaranar Port in Tuticorin has set a new benchmark in handling container traffic. On March 12, that is 20 days ahead of the end of the current financial year, it surpassed the 7,47,363 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of container traffic handled in the financial year 2023-24.
The port handled 7,21,268 TEUs of containers till Feb 2025, registering 7.52% growth.
The port’s container terminals, Tuticorin International Container Terminal and Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminals, with a combined capacity of more than one million TEUs and a draft of 14.20 metres, capable of berthing 8,000 TEU vessels, offer an impressive 30-plus container moves per hour, on a par with global standards, according to port officials.
On Feb 27, the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways honoured the VOC Port with an award of excellence for being the third best container port among ports handling more than 5,00,000 TEUs of containers in India by the.
NICDC Logistics Data Services (NLDS) highlighted the industry-leading performance metrics of container trade through VOC Port, such as the least export and import container dwell time and the least CFS export cycle dwell time, in their Logistics Data Bank Annual Report 2024. The report highlighted that the port’s DBGT container terminal is ranked as the top performer among southern region ports.
The container terminals of the port offer mainline connectivity to ports in the Far East, the Middle East, and onwards to the West, besides comprehensive coastal connectivity and daily sailings to Colombo.
Recently, the port announced various concessions for container vessels on vessel-related charges and shifting charges to attract more volume through VOC Port.
Port Authority chairman Susanta Kumar Purohit said the relentless efforts of the container terminals, port officials, port users, and the entire maritime community helped them in achieving record performances. He stated that the port witnessed more than 30 ad hoc calls from various container lines and holds immense potential to attract more volumes upon completion of dredging and widening of the entrance mouth of the port in a couple of months.