India clears 41% of 182 planned port infrastructure projects

Completed projects account for $3.34b.

India has completed 75 of 182 identified port infrastructure and connectivity projects under the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways told the Rajya Sabha on July 28.

The 182 projects, spanning Major Ports, State Maritime Boards and Union Territories, carry a combined cost of $11.4b (Rs 1,09,018 crore). Completed projects account for $3.34b (Rs 31,967 crore) of that total.

Separately, 25 coastal shipping and inland water transport (IWT) projects under the Sagarmala programme, worth $123.3m (Rs 1,178.50 crore), have been finished.

Of 294 identified rail and road connectivity projects linking ports to economic hubs, 84 are complete — 63 rail and 21 road. These stem from a Comprehensive Port Connectivity Plan drawn up by DPIIT in 2022.

Major Port cargo-handling capacity reached 1.7 billion tonnes per annum as of March 2026, following berth mechanisation, capital dredging, and other efficiency upgrades.

The ministry cited the Green Tug Transition Programme, which converts diesel tugs to electric or hybrid, alongside onshore power supply systems, port equipment electrification, renewable energy installations, and zero-emission vehicle deployment under the Harit Sagar Green Port Guidelines.

Kamrajar Port has utilised $104.5m (Rs 999.44 crore) across 14 projects, including a $96.3m (Rs 921-crore) IOCL captive jetty ($90.8m/Rs 868.48 crore) and a $58.4m (Rs 558-crore) container terminal expansion ($35.8m/Rs 342 crore).

Chennai Port Authority has spent $16m (Rs 152.87 crore) across five projects against a combined cost of $35.4m (Rs 338.35 crore), including cargo storage yards and fishing harbour modernisation.

V.O. Chidambaranar Port has utilised $2.2m (Rs 21 crore) of a $3.7m(Rs 35-crore) green methanol bunkering facility, funded under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has utilised $2.5m (Rs 24.08 crore) across four smaller projects, including passenger berthing facilities at Kanyakumari and a ferry link to Sri Lanka's Kankesanthurai.

Across all four Sagarmala pillars — coastal shipping and IWT, coastal community development, port modernisation, and port connectivity — 79 projects worth $562.2m (Rs 5,374.5 crore) are complete, with 54 more worth $474.7m (Rs 4,538.2 crore) under implementation.