The Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala is set to hold the inaugural trial run of its first container ship at 10 am today. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal will lead the ceremony, with numerous dignitaries in attendance.
However, opposition leaders from the Congress party, including Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, will skip the event. They are protesting the alleged exclusion of opposition leaders from the ceremony and the state government’s failure to compensate fishermen displaced by the project. Congress asserts that the Vizhinjam project is a legacy of the UDF and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, criticizing the current LDF government for attempting to claim credit.
The 300-meter-long cargo vessel, San Fernando, arrived from China and is the first container ship to dock at India’s largest transhipment port. The ship will offload 1,900 containers, which will be transferred to other ships for further distribution. The project, a public-private partnership between the Kerala Government and the Adani Group, involves an investment of Rs 8,867 crore and is expected to be fully operational by September or October 2024.
