Puri is gearing up to construct an international cruise terminal with a projected investment of ₹1,500 crore, aimed at attracting global passenger liners to Odisha’s coastline. This initiative is a collaboration between the Paradip Port Authority and the state government.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced the approval during a parliamentary consultative committee meeting held in Puri on Tuesday. He emphasized the terminal’s significance as a key component of the Centre’s Cruise Bharat Mission, which aims to elevate India’s ocean passenger traffic to one million by March 2029, while also generating 400,000 jobs. The mission was launched in September 2024.

This new facility will provide Puri, a destination primarily known for domestic pilgrimage, with access to one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. In the fiscal year 2025-26, India welcomed 462,661 ocean cruise passengers across 212 ship dockings, marking a five-and-a-half-fold increase over the past twelve years.

In addition to the cruise terminal, the Centre is also supporting the development of a significant freight corridor inland: the enhancement of National Waterway No. 5, which has an estimated budget exceeding ₹13,000 crore. This project will create navigable routes through the Brahmani and Mahanadi river systems, linking mineral and heavy industrial hubs in Talcher and Kalinganagar directly to east coast ports, offering an alternative transportation route for the state’s bulk commodities.