Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, laid the foundation stone for four major infrastructure projects of the Visakhapatnam Port Authority, marking a significant step towards strengthening safety systems, operational capacity and employee facilities at one of India’s leading ports. The four projects involve a combined investment of over Rs 2.3 billion. These include the upgradation of firefighting facilities at the LPG berth at a cost of Rs 0.52 billion to meet OISD safety norms, modernisation of the ORS dry dock for ship repair and revenue generation with an outlay of Rs 0.36 billion, construction of a G+9 Dr B R Ambedkar Administrative Bhavan built to green building standards at Rs 0.98 billion, and the development of residential apartments at Harbour Park costing Rs 0.44 billion to support land monetisation and improve living amenities for employees. Thanking the people of Visakhapatnam for their continued support, Sonowal said he was confident that the port would cross 100 million metric tonnes of cargo throughput in the coming years. He described Visakhapatnam Port as one of the best-performing ports in the country and among the top 100 ports globally, adding that the Central and state governments are working in close coordination to support the Prime Minister’s maritime vision. Vijay Kumar, Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said the sector’s roadmap is guided by the Maritime India Vision and Amrit Kaal Vision. He stressed the need to scale up cargo volumes while ensuring safety through collaboration with PPP and BOT operators. M. Sribharat, Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam, expressed confidence that the projects would be completed on schedule, benefiting port users, employees and the wider city. Local legislators also praised the port authority’s responsive administration and its corporate social responsibility initiatives. The event concluded with Sonowal distributing course completion certificates and placement orders to students trained under programmes sponsored by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority, highlighting the port’s continued focus on skill development and community engagement.