KEY POINTS
- Vizhinjam Port: India’s first deepwater transshipment hub
- Strategic Location: Close to east-west shipping routes, boosting global trade
- Cost-Efficient: Saves on logistics costs by reducing reliance on foreign ports
The Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala is India’s first big transshipment container terminal. It aims to fix a major shipping problem that causes the country to lose around $220 million every year. The port project cost ₹8,900 crore and was officially opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning. It is expected to help India bring back the lost money, boost global trade, improve transport and shipping systems, and reduce the need to depend on ports in other countries.
About Vizhinjam
The Vizhinjam Port in Kerala is a deepwater port, which means it has very deep waters close to the shore. Just 1 km from the coast, the water is 18 to 20 metres deep. This makes it perfect for huge ships, called ‘mother vessels’, to come in and dock safely. These big ships include the latest cargo vessels that can carry more than 24,000 containers. These containers are measured in TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which is a standard size for shipping. One TEU is the size of a 20-foot-long container.
This month, the world’s largest eco-friendly container ship, called Turkiye, docked at Vizhinjam Port. It is run by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The Turkiye is 400 metres long, 61 metres wide, and can carry over 24,300 containers. It is one of the biggest container ships ever made. Vizhinjam Port is located about 230 km from Kochi.
Significance Of Vizhinjam
As of now, almost 75% of goods coming to or going from India by sea are handled at foreign ports like Singapore, Colombo, or Dubai. That’s because India didn’t have a port deep enough for big ships. So, large containers had to be moved onto smaller ships that could reach Indian ports.
But now, with the opening of the Vizhinjam Port, that will change. The port is run by Adani Ports and SEZ and is India’s first and only transshipment hub. Its location is excellent — just 10 nautical miles (about 19 km) from a major international shipping route. This makes it very helpful for India’s shipping and trade industries.
Indian exporters and importers can now save about $80 to $100 per container, which they used to pay for using foreign ports. It also removes problems like higher costs, delays, and traffic at foreign ports. This makes India’s trade system more efficient and less risky in the long run. The port has the potential to become a world-class shipping hub for India and the whole region, because of three key advantages (which we can explain if you want).
Proximity To International Shipping Routes
The east-west shipping channel is a major sea route that connects Europe and North America to East Asia. Vizhinjam Port is very close to this busy shipping route, which makes it easy for large cargo ships to stop there without going far off their path. This saves both time and money for ships traveling between different parts of the world. Because of its location, Vizhinjam is a smart and convenient stop for global trade.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Adani Group Chairperson Gautam Adani felicitates Prime Minister Narendra Modi
PM Modi to dedicate to the nation 'Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport' worth Rs 8,900 crore shortly; CM Pinarayi Vijayan is also present at the… pic.twitter.com/rmi5WaHdWn
— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2025
Minimal Littoral Drift
One big advantage of Vizhinjam Port is that it doesn’t need much maintenance dredging over the years. This is because it has very little “littoral drift” – also known as longshore drift. That’s when sand and mud at the bottom of the sea are moved along the coast by waves.
Connectivity
Vizhinjam Port is not only in a great location near the sea, but it also has very good road, rail, and air connections, which makes it easy and cheap to move goods from the port to other parts of India. National Highway 47, which connects Tamil Nadu cities like Salem and Kanyakumari, is just 2 km away. The railway line is 12 km from the port, helping goods reach far parts of the country.
Trivandrum International Airport is only 15 km away, which adds to its transport advantage. Because of these strong connections and its smart location, the Indian government sees Vizhinjam Port as a very important project. Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the port and said, “Vizhinjam will bring economic stability to Kerala and India.”
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