In a major push to cement Kerala’s position on the global maritime map, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday inaugurated the ₹9,700 crore Phase 2 expansion of the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Seaport. Sharing the stage with Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the CM marked the beginning of a massive scale-up that aims to turn the facility into India’s premier transhipment hub.
The ceremony, which kicked off around 4 PM, saw a rare show of political unity, with everyone from Adani Ports MD Karan Adani to Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan in attendance. Beyond just the symbolic lighting of the lamp, the day also marked the formal opening of the critical access road linking the port directly to the national highway.
During his address, Vijayan didn't ignore the project’s rocky past. "Vizhinjam was a dream for this land, but every time it moved forward, new roadblocks appeared," he remarked, noting that the current progress is a testament to the state’s persistence. State Ports Minister VN Vasavan echoed this sentiment, pointing out that while commercial operations only started recently, the port is already outperforming expectations.
The technical leap for Phase 2 is staggering. The port’s container capacity is set to jump from one million TEUs to five million, with the berth length stretching to 2,000 meters. This will eventually allow Vizhinjam to dock four massive "mother ships" simultaneously. Perhaps most importantly for international shipping, the new phase includes a liquid terminal for refuelling, a high-demand service that very few ports globally can offer.
One of the biggest wins for the state is that this massive expansion won't require any more land acquisition. Instead, 55 hectares will be reclaimed from the sea to house a container yard capable of holding 100,000 units. While the original master plan didn't see full completion until 2045, a revised agreement has fast-tracked the deadline to 2028. With its location right next to the world’s busiest east-west shipping lanes, the port is already drawing significant traffic, having handled over 700 vessels in its short operational life.
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