Our Bureau
Thiruvananthapuram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, which was completed at an estimated cost of ₹8,867 crore by the Adani group.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of port, the PM said that India’s first transshipment hub and first deepwater container terminal, Vizhinjam International Seaport, is expected to have a capacity of 3 million TEUs annually by 2028.
He further emphasized, ““The capacity of the port is also going to be increased three-fold in the coming days. The world’s big ships will be able to come here. So far, around 75 per cent of India’s transshipment was happening outside our country. This was leading to a lot of revenue loss for us. The money that was going out will create a new economy for the country, Kerala, and Vizhinjam.”
Talking about the port’s Phase 1 capacity, it is is designed to handle 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually with an investment of around ₹8,867 crore, out of which the state government has contributed ₹5,595 crore towards connectivity and rail infrastructure, while the Adani Group spent ₹2,454 crore, and over ₹800 crore came as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) from the Centre.
The port, located in close proximity of the international shipping channel, is also equipped with a 3,000-metre breakwater and an 800-metre container berthing facility. This is significant given around 30 per cent of the freight movement flows through the route, situated south of the Indian peninsula. As India’s first international deepwater transshipment, the port has a natural draft of more than 18 metres, scalable up to 20 metres. This makes it capable of hosting even the world’s largest container ship.
Speaking at the event was also Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who highlighted Kerala’s significant contribution to trade, “For the first time in India, a state is contributing the lion’s share of a port. So far, our cargo was diverted to foreign ports. We will be able to reduce our country’s losses through this port.”
“As per the tender, the project can be completed by 2045. We did not wait for that and started commercial operations by 2024, and so far over 250 ships have come. We are planning to complete everything by 2028,” Vijayan added.
Presently, India’s transshipment cargo is handled by ports including Colombo, Singapore, Salalah, Jebel Ali, Tanjung Pelepas, and Port Klang (in Malaysia). The same will be routed to India once the port is fully- functional.
The port has been constructed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), in partnership with the government.
MSC Türkiye, one of the world’s largest container carriers, docked at the Vizhinjam last month, in a major achievement for India’s first deepwater transhipment port.
