Tue Feb 04 19:31:45 UTC 2025: **Chennai and Kamarajar Ports to Get New Seafarer Clubs**
**Chennai, February 5, 2025** – The Chennai and Kamarajar Ports are set to receive new, exclusive clubs for seafarers, offering a range of amenities designed to provide rest and relaxation after long voyages. The initiative, spurred by a Directorate-General of Shipping circular, aims to improve recreational facilities for seafarers.
The Chennai Port’s current Seafarers’ Club is off-site, requiring immigration passes for access. The new club, estimated to cost ₹7 crore, will be located within the port, offering easy access with amenities including a gym, kitchen, library, dining area, supermarket, and resting rooms. Construction is expected to begin in March and conclude by December.
Kamarajar Port will see its first seafarers’ club, a more extensive facility costing ₹10 crore and slated for completion by March. This club will include resting rooms, a dining area, library, kitchen, bar, business center, and badminton and table tennis courts.
Port officials highlight the distance of the ports from city centers and the extended berthing periods of some vessels (up to four days for capesize vessels), emphasizing the need for on-site amenities for crew members, often including spouses. The new clubs aim to provide much-needed relaxation for exhausted seafarers after their journeys.
First Piper 