Ports

Tranquebar handed back to Denmark

Britain returned Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), occupied since 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, to Danish rule on 20 September 1815.

Pondicherry and Karaikal restored to France

After the Napoleonic Wars, Britain returned Pondicherry, Karaikal and the other French settlements in India to France in 1816.

Dutch possessions on the Coromandel Coast pass to Britain

Under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, the Dutch ceded their Coromandel settlements, including Pulicat, to the British on 1 June 1825.

Ice House built on the Madras beach

Frederic Tudor built the Ice House facing the sea at Madras to store ice shipped from America; it is now Vivekanandar Illam.

First emigrant ship from Madras reaches Mauritius

Britain allowed emigration from Madras to Mauritius again in December 1842, and the first ship from Madras reached the island in April 1843.

Madras's first standalone lighthouse begins operation

A granite Doric column built north of Fort St. George began working as Madras's lighthouse on 1 January 1844.

Denmark sells Tranquebar to the British

Denmark sold its settlement of Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) to the East India Company, ending Danish rule on the Tamil coast.

Indentured labourers from Madras arrive in Natal on the Truro

Organised Indian settlement in the British colony of Natal began with the Truro, which brought 342 indentured labourers from Madras.

Birth of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, later the founder of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, was born at Ottapidaram in Tirunelveli district.

Madras Harbour begins operations

An artificial harbour at Madras began handling ships in 1881, though a cyclone the same year wrecked much of the breakwater.

V. O. Chidambaram Pillai founds the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company

To compete with British lines on the Tuticorin-Colombo route, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai registered an Indian-owned shipping firm.

German cruiser Emden shells Madras

Early in the First World War, the German light cruiser SMS Emden shelled Madras, setting fire to oil tanks in the harbour area.

SS Rajula begins the Madras to Penang and Singapore service

The steamer SS Rajula ran a fortnightly Straits Service from Madras to Penang, Port Klang and Singapore from 1926 to 1972.

Death of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

Nationalist pioneer V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, who had started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, died in Thoothukudi.

Madras Refineries formed as a joint venture

Madras Refineries Limited was formed by the Government of India, Amoco and the National Iranian Oil Company to build a refinery at Manali.

Tuticorin major port opened

The new all-weather harbour at Tuticorin began operations as a major port, now known as V. O. Chidambaranar Port.

Poompuhar Shipping Corporation founded

The state-owned Poompuhar Shipping Corporation was founded; it later ran the ferries to the Vivekananda Rock at Kanyakumari.

Thoothukudi district formed

Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district was carved out of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986.

Ennore declared a major port

Ennore's new port, north of Chennai, gained major port status and was incorporated as Ennore Port Limited, the first major port in India run as a company.

Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project inaugurated

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched work on a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka, a project later stalled by the Ram Setu dispute.

Ennore oil spill after tanker collision

Two tankers collided off Kamarajar Port in Ennore, and the resulting oil spill spread along the north Chennai coast.

Passenger ferry between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai begins

A high-speed passenger ferry began sailing between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district.