The Thirukkuvalai Port is a deep-water multi-modal port projected to be developed as a part of an integrated port and power project in the

Nagapattinam District Nagapattinam District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district ...

of the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

in Southeastern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was developed initially by Tridem Port & Power Company Pvt. Ltd. The entire project will entail an investment of about INR 100 billion with 45 billion in Phase I which includes 15 billion for the port development. The Port is designed to handle 40 Mtpa. This project was initiated during the tenure of the

DMK DMK may refer to: Organizations Political parties * Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party in India * Democratic Movement of Kerala a political party in Kerala India Landmarks * DMK, IATA code for Don Mueang International Airport, in Bangko ...

party in the state of Tamil Nadu. The name of the project in its geographical location is misleading, named after the non-littoral locality of

Thirukkuvalai Thirukkuvalai is a village situated in Nagapattinam district of Indian state of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India ...

(in the taluka of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

), which is the birthplace of M. Karunanidhi, the major leader of the DMK party. The port project is in fact planned in the locality of Vettaikkaraniruppu, located in the Kilvelur taluka, between

Velankanni Velankanni (''Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi''), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of ...

and

Vedaranyam Vedaranyam () (also spelt as Vedaraniam and Vedaranniyam) is a town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is named after the presiding deity of the Vedaranyeswarar Temple. The recorded history of Vedaranyam is kno ...

. This locality is also closer to Velankanni and is easier to access from the latter as well as from the town of Vedaranyam. The project is currently frozen.

Union Government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

infrastructure planning and investment are rather focused on the already existing ports of nearby

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

, as well as

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...

and

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

in a broader regional context. The privately owned port of Karaikal, in the

Union Territory of Puducherry Puducherry, also known as Pondicherry, is a union territory of India, consisting of four small geographically unconnected districts. It was formed out of four territories of former French India, namely Puducherry district, Pondichéry (now Pud ...

but located in the Tanjore region or

Cauvery Delta Chola Nadu is an ancient region spanning on the current state of Tamil Nadu and union territory of Puducherry in southern India. It encompasses the lower reaches of the Kaveri River and its delta, and formed the cultural homeland and politica ...

, is also geographically close by.

Development

The development will involve construction of

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

s, construction of

wharve A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn. History A spindle whorl may be a disk or spherical object. It is typically positioned on the bottom of the spindle. Th ...

s / berths, and dredging the berthing areas, harbour basin, turning circle and the approach channel. * Port limits up to from the shoreline. * Approximately waterfront area with some coastline. * Reclaimed area from dredged materials extending outwards from the 3. * coastline. Size of area is to be determined by Consultant. * A contiguous Free Trade Zone area with a suitable area so me away for storage of thermal coal directly from the berths and evacuated subsequently to the power plant and to other port users by rail or road.
/ref>

References

{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Ports and harbours of Tamil Nadu