V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in a statement said that the port has initiated studies for the development of inner harbour by constructing berths and upgrading the existing berths to match the port's facilities to international standards at a whopping investment of Rs. 3,462 crore. There are also plans to increase the port's capacity to 182.30 MTPA (million tons per annum) by 2020-21. The statement further added that steps had been taken to increase the maximum draft of the channel from 14 metres to 16.5 metres and of the inner harbour from 12.80 metres to 15.20 metres in a phased manner.
