Container feeder service launched from Chennai Port to Pondicherry Port

On February 27, 2023, the chairperson of the Chennai Port Authority flagged off the container feeder vessel Hope Seven, which has a capacity of 106 twenty-foot equivalent units, from DP World Container Terminal, Chennai port to Pondicherry port. The service is expected to increase the volume of cargo from Pondicherry and its hinterlands to Chennai port, while avoiding road congestion. Under the vision of Sagarmala, to enable a modal shift from roads, the Government of India is focused on the economic and environmental benefits of coastal shipping. For instance, there are plans to develop Pondicherry port as a satellite facility to Chennai port for container cargo, including exports and imports to and from Puducherry and its hinterlands, extending to Cuddalore/Nagapattinam in the south-east, Trichy/ Villupuram in the south, and Salem/Namakkal in the west.