Tuticorin, February 25 The VOC Port museum project aims to showcase the historical importance of Tuticorin as a trade center in ancient times, promote tourism, and preserve India's maritime history, a top port official said.
The museum will depict the trade links of the Tuticorin port with various countries, dating back as far as 123 AD, and the evolution of sea-based shipments during the pre- and post-British eras, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority Chairman Susanta Kumar Purohit said.
The museum was inaugurated as part of the Rs 1,500 crore worth of projects launched by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Purohit said the Maritime Heritage Museum is dedicated to freedom fighter V.O. 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 the Tuticorin port dates back to as early as 123 AD. It was a major trade center involved in maritime trade with Western and Eastern countries. Tuticorin has been a center for pearl fishing 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 Southeast 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 neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka and the coastal regions of India, he said.
Today, the port imports and exports wind blades, coal, iron ore, agricultural 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 by 6 per cent to 35.97 million tonnes.
Container volumes rose by 9.40 per cent to over 7.16 lakh TEUs in the April-January period of the current fiscal year.
