Chennai is an important port of south India with its hinterland extending over Tamil Nadu, south Andhra Pradesh and eastern Karnataka. It is an artificial port enclosing a sea-area of 81 hectares (0.91 km x 0.76 km) and depth of 15 m. The harbour has an entrance from the north quay with a sheltering arm.

It can accommodate up to 21 vessels inside the harbour which has 18 quay berths, 3 oil mooring berths, mechanical ore handling docks and 16 ware­houses and 10 transit sheds. Plans are under way to construct container terminal and extend quay area and berths. The port mostly imports petroleum, coal, edible oils, fertilizers, chemicals, machinery, cot­ton, iron and steel and metals etc. Its main exports are iron ore, food grains. Hides and skins, turmeric, tobacco, mica, sugar, oil cake and timber etc. During 1996-97 its total volume of cargo traffic was 31.8 million tons which is expected to reach 56.54 million tons by 2002 AD.