Kerala’s Vizhinjam Port marked a significant milestone with the arrival of its first container ship, ‘San Fernando,’ on Thursday. The ship, with a capacity of 8,000 to 9,000 TEUs, sailed from Xiamen Port in China and will unload approximately 2,000 containers at Vizhinjam, handling 400 containers using the port’s services, which meet international standards.
After departing from Sri Lanka, the ship reached the outer sea near the port before 7 am on Thursday. The harbour pilot will guide it to the port, where it is scheduled to dock by 9:15 am. The vessel will be welcomed with a water salute led by the large tug Ocean Prestige and smaller tugs from the Dolphin Series (27, 28, and 35). Offloading will commence soon after the ship berths, and the vessel is set to leave for Colombo following the inaugural ceremony on Friday, July 12.
The trial operation of Vizhinjam Port, a highly anticipated project in Kerala, has begun with this arrival. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and advanced automation and IT systems, Vizhinjam is set to become India’s first semi-automated port, with full commissioning expected in September/October 2024.
State Port Minister V N Vasavan stated that trial operations would continue for 2-3 months, marking the start of regular commercial services at Vizhinjam Port. The inaugural ceremony, slated for July 12, will be attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, among other dignitaries. Thousands are expected to witness the historic event.
Despite some controversy over the guest list, the minister emphasized that this is only a trial run and everyone will be invited to the full commissioning. He also noted that world-class services are now in place, enabling international vessels to call at the port. During the trial period, the port will receive large vessels, with a 400-meter container ship expected soon. Full-scale transshipment operations will begin, with large ships unloading containers for smaller vessels to distribute to various ports domestically and internationally.
The Vizhinjam International Seaport project, a Public-Private Partnership between the Kerala Government and the Adani Group, was initiated with a concession agreement signed on August 17, 2015, and construction began on December 5, 2015. Phases 2 and 3 of the project are expected to be completed by 2028.
