VOC Port Museum to showcase ancient trade routes, promote maritime sector: Chairman

The museum will depict trade links of Tuticorin port with various countries dating back as long as 123 AD to the evolution of sea-based shipments during the pre- and post-British era, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority Chairman Susanta Kumar Purohit said.

The museum has been inaugurated as part of Rs 1,500 crore worth of projects launched by Union Minister for Port, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu on Monday. Purohit said the Maritime Heritage Museum is dedicated to freedom fighter VO Chidambaranar.      He said the project will deepen public awareness of India’s maritime history, promote tourism, and strengthen community engagement across the region.      “The history of Tuticorin port dates back as early as 123 AD. It was a major trade centre engaged in maritime trade with Western and Eastern countries. Tuticorin has been a centre for pearl fishery for centuries. Tuticorin was declared a minor anchorage Port in 1868,” Purohit said.
In ancient times, mainly pearls and spices were exported to Rome, China and several countries of South East Asia, he said.

The museum will share the struggles of freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar, who boycotted British Ships operating between Tuticorin and Colombo, and launched the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906, which operated two vessels from Tuticorin to Colombo.

After Independence, the minor Port of Tuticorin handled a variety of cargo for the neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives etc. and the coastal regions of India, he said.
Today, the port imports and exports wind blades, coal, iron ore, agri products, etc.

The Tuticorin Port Trust was renamed as V O Chidambaranar Port Trust in February 2011 and subsequently as V.O.Chidambaranar Port Authority in January 2022.

V.O. Chidambaranar Port is one of the major ports in the country. From April 2025 to January 2026, cargo handling increased 6 per cent to 35.97 million tonnes.Container volumes rose 9.40 per cent to over 7.16 lakh TEUs in the April-January period of the current fiscal year.