Cochin Port plans to introduce an AI-driven immigration corridor to replace manual facial and fingerprint checks for cruise passengers. This pilot, supported by the Indian Ports Association, aims to streamline arrivals and support the government's Cruise Bharat Mission. The goal is to improve port efficiency and assist in reaching the target of one million annual cruise passengers by FY 2029.
The Indian Ports Association (IPA) is moving to modernize port immigration in India, starting with a pilot project at Cochin Port. This initiative will replace traditional, manual immigration checks with an automated, AI-powered corridor. Passengers will no longer need to provide manual fingerprints at immigration counters; instead, high-resolution camera arrays will use facial recognition to verify identities in real-time as travelers walk through the designated terminal pathway.
For cruise operators, the current immigration system often requires dedicating space on ships to serve as makeshift processing centers. This setup limits the number of cabins available for sale and adds to operational complexity. By shifting the verification process to an automated corridor at the terminal, the IPA expects to remove these bottlenecks. The transition is intended to align Indian port operations with the automated standards seen at major global aviation hubs.
The project is a key element of the government’s Cruise Bharat Mission, which aims to increase India's annual cruise passenger traffic to one million by the 2029 fiscal year. In FY26, the country’s ports handled approximately 4.63 lakh passengers across 212 vessels, with international travelers accounting for about 10 percent of that volume. As the government seeks to expand this segment, improving the ease of entry at major ports is considered essential for handling higher passenger volumes without creating security gaps.
The Indian Ports Association is currently preparing to float a tender to select technology partners for the pilot installation. The project is set to be funded through the association's internal budget. While currently limited to the Cochin facility, the success of this proof-of-concept will determine if similar automated systems are deployed at other major maritime gateways across the country. The pace of execution and the reliability of the AI system during the pilot phase will be the primary factors in evaluating the feasibility of future expansion across the sector.