Under the Sagarmala Programme, the centre has been established in IIT Chennai at a cost of Rs 77 crore.

The institute acts as a technological arm of the ministry and develops cutting-edge technologies and application products to provide solutions to various challenges faced by ports and the shipping sector.

The Institute has capabilities for undertaking to model of the ocean, determining the coastal and estuarine flows, sediment transport and morphodynamics, planning of navigation and manoeuvring, estimation of dredging and siltation, consultancy in port and coastal engineering - designing the structures and breakwaters, autonomous platforms and vehicles.