VPA handled record 91.17 million metric tons of cargo in the 2025-26, up about 10%/y
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal dedicated a waterfront promenade at the Visakhapatnam Port to the public and laid foundation stones for four new projects.
Foundation stones were laid for three contracts to operate and maintain existing cargo terminals, together worth about Rs.580 crores. They cover the WQ-1 and WQ-1RE berths; WQ-2 and WQ-3; and EQ-3. Operators must mechanise the berths with cranes and conveyors, with environmental controls, and will employ about 500 local people.
“Through these projects, Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) will secure assured cargo throughput and achieve optimum capacity utilisation in these berths,” Sonowal said on 11 Nov, announcing the new projects.
The Minister also laid the foundation stone for upgrading the port’s sewage treatment plant from 10 million liters a day to 15 million liters, including a new 5-million-liter plant, at an estimated cost of about Rs.11 crores. Treated water is used for dust suppression, wetting roads and sprinkling at stockpile yards, and the upgrade supports the ministry’s Harit Sagar green port initiative.
Sonowal said the port handled a record 91.17 million metric tons of cargo in the 2025-26 fiscal year, about 10% more than a year earlier and its fourth straight year of growth. From April 1 to Oct. 31, cargo rose by 4.44 million metric tons, or 8.88%, over the same period last year. “You must beat last year’s target of 10% growth,” Sonowal encouraged the port employees as he spoke and interacted with them.
The port has taken up four Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects worth about Rs.800 crores, which are under construction and expected to be commissioned by 2027. It has one of the deepest container terminals among India’s major ports, with a permissible draft of 16 meters, and is shifting to a landlord-port model to cut vessel turnaround time and logistics costs.
Elaborating on projects, he said the Rs.19 crore Port Promenade runs about 710 meters (2,330 feet) along the water from the Venkateswara Temple to the International Cruise Terminal and covers about 5.5 acres. The promenade gives residents a regulated, safe place to watch ships and port operations for the first time. “It opens up the port to the city,” Sonowal said. “This project is dedicated to the people of Visakhapatnam.”
The promenade has a waterfront walkway and two view decks, one a Titanic-style viewpoint, along with a park, a public plaza, a children’s play area, a food court and visitor parking. It was built on existing port land without affecting cargo operations. Its location beside the cruise terminal is also meant to add to the terminal’s appeal for cruise passengers.
A port that was once closed to outsiders now invites residents in, he said, adding that the new terminal contracts will give about 500 local people jobs running its berths, he said. fiinews.com
