| Chennai Port | |
|---|---|
 Chennai Port in 1996 | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Location | Chennai (Madras) |
| Coordinates | 13°05′04″N 80°17′24″E / 13.08441°N 80.2899°E |
| UN/LOCODE | IN MAA |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1881 |
| Operated by | Chennai Port Trust |
| Owned by | Chennai Port Trust, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India |
| Type of harbour | Coastal breakwater, artificial, large seaport |
| Size of harbour | 169.97 ha (420.0 acres) |
| Land area | 237.54 ha (587.0 acres) |
| Size | 407.51 ha (1,007.0 acres) |
| No. of berths | 26 |
| Employees | 8,000 (2004)[1] |
| Chairman | Shri Sunil Paliwal, I.A.S. |
| Main trades | Automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial cargo including iron ore, granite, coal, fertilizers, petroleum products, and containers Major exports: Iron ore, leather, cotton textiles,Automobiles Major imports: Wheat, raw cotton, machinery, iron & steel |
| World Port Index Number | 49450[2] |
| UN/LOCODE | INMAA |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 51.88 million tonnes (2017–18)[3] |
| Annual container volume | 1.55 million TEUs (2014–2015)[4] |
| Annual revenue | ₹ 890.4 crore (2007–08)[5] |
| Vessels handled | 2,181 (2010–2011) |
| Capacity | Cargoes: 55.75 million tonnes (2008–09)[6] Containers: 2 million TEUs[7] |
| Website www.chennaiport.gov.in | |
Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port also known as Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 12 major ports of India with official port operations beginning in 1881, although maritime trade started much earlier in 1639 on the undeveloped shore. It is an artificial and all-weather port with wet docks. Once a major travel port, it became a major container port in the post-Independence era. An established port of trade of British India since the 1600s, the port remains a primary reason for the economic growth of Tamil Nadu, especially for the manufacturing boom in South India, and has contributed greatly to the development of the city of Chennai.[8] It is due to the existence of the port that the city of Chennai eventually became known as the Gateway of South India.
The port has become a hub port for containers, cars and project cargo in the east coast of India. From handling a meagre volume of cargo in the early years of its existence, consisting chiefly of imports of oil and motors and the export of groundnuts, granite and ores, the port has started handling more than 60 million tonnes of cargo in recent years. In 2008, the port's container traffic crossed 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). As of 2011, the Chennai Port was ranked the 86th largest container port in the world with plans to expand the capacity to about 140 million tonnes per annum.[9][10] It is an ISO 14001:2004 and ISPS-certified port and has become a main line port having direct connectivity to more than 50 ports around the world.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NewChief2004was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "World Port Index Eighteenth Edition (2005), Pub.150" (PDF). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, Maryland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Cargo traffic handled by major ports up 4.77% in FY18".
- ^ "India's major ports see 6.7 percent growth in container volumes". JOC.com. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CPTAchievesRecordTurnOverwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Performance of Major Port" (PDF). Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. Retrieved 22 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Chennai Port terminal project gets Cabinet nod". Business Standard. Chennai. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TOI_CenturyOldStoriesWashUpwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Chennai". CS Top 100 Container Ports 2010. Cargo Systems. August 2010. p. 69. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Chennai Port capacity to be expanded with Rs. 100 billion". The Siasat Daily. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.