VO Chidambaranar Port (VOC Port) and SIPCOT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop the National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster in Tamil Nadu. The agreement was signed on Friday in the presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal.

The minister paid floral tributes at the port to the statue of legendary freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai to mark his 154th birth anniversary.

During the event, Mr Sonowal inaugurated a green hydrogen pilot project with a capacity of 10 Nm³ per hour, valued at Rs 3.87 crore, at the VOC Port campus. This makes VOC Port the first in India to produce green hydrogen. He also inaugurated a rooftop solar power plant with a capacity of 400 KW and a link conveyor connecting Coal Jetty-I to the port’s coal stack yard.

Further, he laid the foundation stone for several projects, including a pilot green methanol bunkering and refuelling facility to support the Coastal Green Shipping Corridor between Gujarat’s Kandla and Thoothukudi, a 6 MW wind farm, the construction of a multi-cargo berth, a four-lane concrete road from TPS Roundana to Check Post 2, and the Tamil Nadu Maritime Heritage Museum.

VOC Port chairman Mr Susanta Kumar Purohit and SIPCOT managing director Dr K Senthil Raj signed the MoU for the shipbuilding, repair and recycling cluster in the presence of the minister. VOC Port also entered into agreements with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd to establish rail connectivity for the outer harbour project and with the National Thermal Power Corporation to implement a green mobility initiative.

Over the past decade, major ports in Tamil Nadu — Chennai, Kamarajar and VOC — have more than doubled their capacity from 167 million tonnes per annum to 338 million tonnes per annum. Highlighting VOC Port’s emerging role, Mr Sonowal said, “By attracting a Rs 41 billion investment in a green hydrogen project, VOC Port is fast becoming the leading green gateway of Maritime India.”

Speaking on the shipbuilding initiative at Thoothukudi, he added that it would create employment opportunities for youth. “India is poised to become one of the top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030 and among the top five by 2047,” he stated.