In 2017, the Chennai Port Trust which operates the Chennai Seaport, one of the largest seaports in the country entered into a definitive agreement between the Puducherry Seaport to develop Puducherry Seaport as a feeder port for the Chennai Seaport. Both the ports are 167 km (103 miles) apart.
In 2018, a trial run utilizing a customized cargo vessel between Chennai and Puducherry revealed the draft at Puducherry Port to be lower. A tender was floated to remove 73,000 cubic meters of sand from the port’s mouth which is ongoing. Puducherry happened to be a French colony and acceded to the Union of India post-Indian independence only.
The ambitious Sagarmala scheme is envisioned to develop and utilize the seaports in the country irrespective of their sizes with a view to expand the logistical capacity and to increase the exports from India. Additional funds will be arriving from the said scheme and the port will be buzzing with activity soon. 44 crore (5.9 Million USD) had been approved by the Centre for capital dredging so far. Dredging for capital purposes, the development of a container berthing facility and the construction of roads and bridges were all proposed.
