Vizhinjam, only port for docking huge mother ships; set for inauguration on October 15

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Vizhinjam International Port at 4 pm tomorrow and the occasion will be graced by Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal. Vizhinjam is the only port in the country where large mother ships can dock.

Thiruvananthapuram: Vizhinjam International Port, which will be a new milestone in the development of Kerala, will create a new history in international shipping. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the port for docking of the first cargo ship at 4 pm on October 15. Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal will be the chief guest on the occasion.

The cargo ship carrying cranes for Vizhinjam port left from Shanghai port in China on August 30. The ship returned to Vizhinjam after reaching Mundra port in Gujarat and unloading the necessary cranes there. Shanghua, which arrived at Vizhinjam on October 12, was received at the port with a traditional water salute.

An 817-metre berth or jetty is being built to accommodate ships arriving at the port. Out of this, the work of 400 meters has been completed. The remaining 400 metres will be completed by May 2024.

It is the only port in India where the large mother ships can dock. The large mother ships require a 700-metre berth to approach. An 817-meter berth is being built in the first phase at Vizhinjam. Currently, Singapore, Colombo and Salalah ports have the capacity to receive such large vessels.

Vizhinjam port can now be fully used for movement of goods within the country. This will help in doing away with the dependence on Singapore, Colombo and Salala ports. Also, it will save money and time, thereby giving a new impetus to the Indian shipping sector.

The harbor has a natural depth of 18 to 20 metres. No soil removal or dredging is required here. In the first phase, a total of 3 km or 2960 metres of embankment was needed of which, 2360 metres has already been constructed.

Vizhinjam is located next to the main shipping route from the far East to the Middle East. About 30 percent of the world's ocean freight traffic goes through this route. Vizhinjam port is only 10 nautical miles away from this route.

Vizhinjam is designed as a trans shipment port. Containers are unloaded at Vizhinjam port from cargo ships arriving on large cargo ships and then transported by other ships to ports across India and other foreign countries. Ninety percent of the total cargo reaching Vizhinjam will be carried in this way and only 10 percent of cargo will be transported by rail and road.

Vizhinjam port development is targeted in three phases. The first phase will be completed and become operational by May 2024. In the first phase it will handle 10 lakh TEUs of cargo per annum, in the second phase it will be increased to 25 lakh TEUs and in the third phase it will be further hiked to 30 lakh TEUs.

The construction of 1.7 km road from the National Highway to the port is in progress. For rail connectivity from Vizhinjam to Balaramapuram less than 2 km tunnel is required and Konkan Rail Corporation has been engaged for this.

Vizhinjam port will generate about 6,000 direct and indirect jobs in the first phase along with improving scope for rapid growth in the sectors of tourism and hotel industries.

The construction cost of the first phase of the project is Rs 7700 crores. The port is being built by the joint efforts of the state and central governments along with Adani Group. The port will be operated by Adani group for the next 40 years.