The Rs 19 crore promenade extends approximately 710 metres along the waterfront, from the Venkateswara Temple to the International Cruise Terminal, and covers around 5.5 acres. It provides residents with a regulated public space to view ships and port operations.
The facility includes a waterfront walkway, two viewing decks, a park, public plaza, children's play area, food court and visitor parking. One of the viewing decks features a Titanic-style design. The promenade has been developed on existing port land without affecting cargo operations and is also expected to enhance the experience of cruise passengers visiting the terminal.
Sonowal said the project reflects the government's vision of making development inclusive by involving citizens in the growth of public infrastructure. He added that the initiative would open the port to the city and create opportunities for local residents.
The Union Minister also laid the foundation stones for three contracts covering the operation and maintenance of existing cargo terminals. These include WQ-1 and WQ-1RE berths, WQ-2 and WQ-3 berths, and EQ-3. The contracts require operators to mechanise the berths through cranes and conveyor systems, along with environmental control measures. The projects are expected to generate employment for around 500 local people.
The Minister said the projects would help Visakhapatnam Port secure assured cargo throughput and improve capacity utilisation at the berths.
Another project involves upgrading the port's sewage treatment capacity from 10 million litres per day to 15 million litres per day. The work, estimated to cost around Rs 11 crore, includes a new 5-million-litre-per-day treatment plant. The treated water is used for dust suppression, road wetting and sprinkling at stockyards. The upgrade is aligned with the Ministry's Harit Sagar green port initiative.
Addressing port employees, Sonowal said Visakhapatnam Port handled a record 91.17 million metric tonnes of cargo in FY2025-26, registering growth of around 10% over the previous year and marking its fourth consecutive year of growth. Between April 1 and October 31, cargo handling increased by 4.44 million metric tonnes, or 8.88%, compared with the corresponding period last year. He encouraged employees to exceed the previous year's growth target.
The initiatives were announced ahead of Sonowal's participation in the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026, being hosted by the Andhra Pradesh government on November 12 and 13 under the theme 'Navigating New World Order: Trade, Technology, Trust'.
Visakhapatnam Port has also undertaken four Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects worth around Rs 800 crore, which are under construction and expected to be commissioned by 2027. The port has one of the deepest container terminals among India's major ports, with a permissible draft of 16 metres. It is also transitioning towards a landlord-port model to reduce vessel turnaround time and logistics costs.
Sonowal credited the Centre's port development initiatives under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and said the projects reflected the government's approach to inclusive development. He also acknowledged the support of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the state government.
Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat, Rajya Sabha MP Golla Babu Rao, Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav, legislators Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas and P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, and Visakhapatnam Port Authority Chairperson Jasmeet Singh Bindra attended the event, along with port officials and employees.
