NEWS – PM Inaugurates Vizhinjam International Seaport. It is First deep-water container transshipment port in India, located in Thiruvananthapuram.

KEY FEATURES OF VIZHINJAM PORT

Location & Ownership

• Located at Vizhinjam, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala.
• Developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
• Operated by Adani Ports, with majority investment from the Kerala Government.

Technical Highlights

• India’s first semi-automated and dedicated transshipment port.
• Built at a cost of ₹8,867 crore (₹5,595 crore from Kerala, ₹2,454 crore from Adani, ₹817.8 crore as VGF from Union Government).
• Features a 3-km long breakwater, with a natural depth of 20 metres.
• Minimal littoral drift, reducing maintenance and dredging costs.
• Equipped with:
  • AI-powered Vessel Traffic Management System (developed with IIT Madras).
  • Fully automated yard cranes.
  • Remote-operated ship-to-shore cranes.

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

Ideal Transshipment Hub

• Located just 10 nautical miles from the main international shipping route.
• Capable of handling Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) due to 20-metre depth.
• Expected to reduce India’s dependence on foreign ports (e.g., Colombo, Singapore, Klang).
• Currently, 75% of India’s transshipment cargo handled abroad.

Operational Milestones

• Commercial operations began in December 2024.
• Already handled 6 lakh TEUs and over 280 ships, surpassing first-year projections.
• Notable vessels:
  • MSC Claude Girardet – Largest cargo ship to dock in South Asia.
  • MSC Anna – Handled 10,330 containers in one visit.
  • MSC Irina, the world’s largest container ship, expected in May 2025.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• Vizhinjam was a significant port as early as the Chola-Pandya era (1129 AD).
• Identified in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as “Balita”.
• Lost prominence due to colonial focus on Cochin and Madras ports.
• Revived after 80 years of deliberation with the first official port study in the 1940s by the Travancore state.

ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURAL BOOST

Multi-modal Connectivity

• Planned upgrades include:
  • NH-66 cloverleaf interchange.
  • Railway connection to national network.
  • 63-km Outer Ring Road.

Industrial and Trade Zone

• Vizhinjam Development Zone to promote local and national industrial investment.
• Kerala budget features dedicated zones for other states to open business centres.

Skill Development

• Women operators trained to run automated cranes—India’s first port with an all-women crew for such tasks.
• Training by Adani Skill Development Centre in collaboration with Kerala’s Community Skill Park.

CHALLENGES AND PENDING APPROVALS

Urgent Infrastructure Needs

• Absence of Integrated Check Post (ICP) flagged by stakeholders like CSLA.
• Lack of a Port Health Office and delays in handling rising ship traffic.

Union-State Collaboration Issues

• Concerns over the ₹817.8 crore VGF repayment, which could escalate to ₹10,000 crore.
• Kerala demands reconsideration of the repayment clause due to strategic importance of the port.

FUTURE VISION: TRIVANDRUM INTERNATIONAL SEA PORT

Rebranding and Global Push

• Proposal to rename port as Trivandrum International Sea Port Limited for global branding consistency (location code: IN TRV 01).
• Port showcased at:
  • World Economic Forum 2025.
  • Invest Kerala Global Summit 2025.
  • Vizhinjam Conclave 2025.

Global Connectivity

• Already integrated into major MSC shipping routes:
  • Jade Service (Europe–Asia).
  • Dragon Service (Asia–Mediterranean).

TOWARDS A PORT-LED ECONOMIC BOOM

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Potential

• Inspired by Shenzhen, China’s SEZ model.
• Proposal for Vizhinjam Special Investment Region (SIR) Bill underway.
• Plans for:
  • Shipyard and repair hub in nearby Poovar.
  • Bunkering hub for green fuels (hydrogen, ammonia).
  • Green hydrogen and wave energy projects by Kerala’s ANERT.

Need for Unified Policy

• Industry experts suggest a greenfield port policy to avoid overlapping hubs (e.g., nearby Colachel project).
• Urgent call for coordination among stakeholders for effective, sustainable growth.