This new port has been developed about 8 km south-west of the old Tuticorin port. The port has an artificial deep sea harbour which can receive vessels up to 8 m of draft at all times. It has 4 alongside berths with total quay age of 720 m one of which is an oil mooring berth. Two new berths are being developed for container terminal.

Tuticorin port has rich hinter­land comprising the districts of Madurai, Kanniya kumari, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and southern part of Tiruchchirappally. It is well con­nected with railways and roads (NH 7A). Its princi­pal exports are tea, cotton, cardamoms, cotton tex­tiles, hides and skins and sienna leaves etc. Similarly main items of import are machinery, hardware, coal and fertilizers etc. During 1996-97 its total volume of cargo traffic was 9.17 million tones which is expected to rise to 16.24 million tons by 2002.