The V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi handled its first crude palm oil vessel at Coal Jetty-2 on Friday. The jetty has been modified with pipelines connecting the berth to storage tanks located approximately 5 km away.
The vessel, named ZY Galaxy, arrived with 15,000 tonnes of crude palm oil originating from the Port of Kunak in Malaysia and was successfully berthed at 10 am. According to official releases, the discharge of the complete cargo consignment is scheduled to conclude by Monday. Seaport Services, Tuticorin, is acting as the shipping agent for the vessel.
The consignment was imported by KTV Health Food Private Limited. The company has constructed four storage tanks within the port's industrial zone and maintains a manufacturing capacity of 1,000 tonnes of refined palmolein per day. The refined palmolein processed by the enterprise is subsequently distributed to meet regional domestic consumption demands.
As part of its broader industrial development initiatives, the V.O. Chidambaranar Port has allocated approximately 1,633 acres of port land dedicated to establishing port-based industries. These designated sectors include power plants, chemical units, warehousing, food processing, edible oil manufacturing, as well as green hydrogen and its derivatives.
"The infrastructure upgrade at V.O. Chidambaranar Port demonstrates how adapting existing assets, such as Coal Jetty-2, can directly support industrial supply chains and manufacturing efficiency. For businesses operating in sectors like food processing and edible oils, proximity to dedicated port infrastructure reduces logistics friction and strengthens regional distribution capabilities. Such strategic modifications of port facilities are essential for lowering operational overheads and scaling regional industrial output." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes
