Vizhinjam International Seaport
- 13 Jul 2024
On July 12th, 2024, Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the trial run of the Vizhinjam International Seaport (VIST), in Thiruvannthapuram, India’s first deepwater trans-shipment port.VIST received San Fernando, the first mothership, from China.
Key Points
- VIST is India’s first automated port, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities designed to accommodate large vessels.
- The port features modern container handling equipment and advanced automation and IT systems.
- San Fernando, the 300-meter-long container vessel operated by Maersk with a capacity of 8,000-9,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), will be availing the services at the port to offload about 2,000 containers and for 400 container movements within the vessel.
- Currently, 25 per cent of India’s container traffic is transshipped en route to the destination.
- Until now, despite India’s rising trade with the world, the country did not have a dedicated transshipment port, resulting in three-fourths or 75 per cent of India’s transshipped cargo being handled by ports outside India.
- VIST aims to redirect this traffic domestically, positioning itself as a strategic hub for major international routes connecting the US, Europe, Africa, and the Far East.
- VIST, a vital economic infrastructure project promoted by the Government of Kerala, represents the largest private sector investment in the state.
- The construction of the Vizhinjam port began in 2016 and was scheduled to be commissioned in 2019. However, there was a delay due to issues with land acquisition.
- The project was allotted to Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Adani Ports and Logistics on 5th December 2015, after the Government of Kerala and Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd. (AVPPL) agreed to a concession agreement on August 17, 2015.
