Karaikal (India)

Karaikal is a major cargo port and city in India, with population over 230,000. The town was conquered by France in 1674 and until 1954 remained part of French India (1664-1954). Karaikal, Pondicherry, Yanam, and Mahe together form the Union Territory of Puducherry (created in 1954).

The city is bounded by Nagapattinam (India's Tamil Nadu state/north and south), Tiruvarur (Tamil Nadu / west), and Bengal Bay (east).

Port Karaikal (locode INKRK) is a deepwater harbour with a land area 600+ acres (2,4 km2). The port is managed (under 40-year concession / until 2045) by MARG Group India (Infrastructure Development Company). The port has docking capacity 9 berths and serves mainly bulk carriers shipping coal and cement, also petcoke, fertilizers, raw sugar. The port is conveniently located midway between Chennai-Madras (300 km to the south) and Tuticorin (360 km to the north).

The seaport was developed for 3 years (2006-2009) by Karaikal Port Private Ltd (a subsidiary of MARG Ltd) and started operations in 2009. The city's current economy is based mostly on metallurgy (iron and steel), tiles, polythene and rubber production, chemistry, agriculture, commercial fishing, liquor production.

As cruise port, Karaikal was included for the first time in Seabourn's schedule of the company's newest (2018-launched) superyacht Seabourn Ovation.

The next table shows the repositioning cruise itinerary (33-days from Dubai to Hong Kong) as call ports and port times.

Prices started from ~USD 16000 pp with double occupancy.