Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala: India’s First Mega Transshipment Hub to Save $220 Million Annually

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi officially opened the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala on Friday. This is India's first major transshipment port, allowing large ships to come directly to India instead of going through foreign ports. The government spent Rs 8,900 crore on the project, which is expected to save about $220 million every year. The port will help improve India's trade, reduce transport time, and cut down costs.

Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala: Significance

At present, about 75% of India's sea cargo goes through foreign ports like Colombo, Singapore, or Dubai. Large container ships unload goods there, which are then transferred to smaller ships to reach Indian ports. This process takes extra time and money. Now, with Vizhinjam Port, India will not need to depend so much on these foreign ports.

Vizhinjam: Key Location and Connectivity Hub

Vizhinjam is a good choice for a port because of three main reasons. First, it is very close to international shipping routes, especially the east-west route used by ships from Europe, North America, and East Asia. Second, it has very little sand movement (called littoral drift), which means the port will not need regular cleaning (dredging). Third, it has good transport connections like roads, railways, and an airport nearby. These benefits make the port efficient and cost-saving.

The port is just 10 nautical miles from a busy international sea route. This is very useful for cargo ships, as it saves fuel and travel time. Also, because there is not much sand moving in the area, the port does not need frequent dredging. This will help reduce maintenance costs in the long run and keep the sea depth safe for large ships.

Vizhinjam is also well connected by land and air. The National Highway 47 is only 2 km away, and rail lines are just 12 km away. Trivandrum International Airport is also close by, only 15 km from the port. These connections make it easier to move goods quickly to different parts of India.

Vizhinjam Port Inauguration: PM Modi Opened, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Attended

The port's opening was attended by several important leaders. Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, others present were Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. PM Modi said the project is important for the economy of Kerala and the whole country.

Vizhinjam is a deepwater port, which means the sea is very deep even near the shore-18 to 20 metres deep up to 1 km from the coast. This allows very big ships, also called mother vessels, to dock here. These ships can carry more than 24,000 containers (TEUs) at a time.

Recently, the world's largest eco-friendly container ship, named Turkiye, came to Vizhinjam. It is operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The ship is 400 metres long and can carry over 24,300 containers. This shows that Vizhinjam can easily handle the biggest container ships in the world.

Earlier, Indian businesses had to pay extra costs of $80 to $100 per container because of using foreign ports for transshipment. Now, with Vizhinjam Port in operation, these costs can be saved, which will help exporters and importers in India.