Under the Sagarmala programme, the Union government would establish Puducherry port in three phases at a cost of Rs 304.8 crore to serve as a feeder port for Chennai port.
Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said in a written response to questions from Puducherry MP V Vaithilingam in the Lok Sabha that the Chennai Port Trust and the Puducherry Port Department signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2017 with the Union shipping ministry’s approval to use the port in Puducherry as a feeder port to the Chennai port.
In February 2018, a customised cargo vessel made a trial voyage between Chennai and Puducherry, according to Sonowal.
“It was observed that there were a few areas in the channel and mouth of the Puducherry Port where the draft was less, and capital dredging has to be carried out to sustain the operation,”
He said capital dredging to a tune of 7.3 lakh cubic metres would be done at Puducherry port and a container berth would be set up under the first phase at a cost of Rs 75 crore.
