Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 17 (IANS) Kerala’s Vizhinjam International Seaport is set to enter a new phase on Tuesday, when the deep-water port formally begins full-fledged export-import operations, marking a potentially transformative moment for the state’s economy and its ambitions to emerge as a major logistics and manufacturing hub.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will flag off the first export container at 10.45 a.m., with Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as chief guest.
The ceremony will mark Vizhinjam’s transition from a predominantly transhipment facility into a commercial gateway designed to connect Kerala’s exporters directly with global markets.
The development is particularly significant for Adani Ports, which operates the port, as Vizhinjam’s location and natural depth give it a strategic advantage in the increasingly competitive Indian maritime sector.
The port, with a natural depth of 20-24 metres, can accommodate some of the world’s largest container vessels.
Located barely 10 nautical miles from the international East-West shipping corridor, Vizhinjam has long been projected as a facility capable of altering India’s maritime logistics map.
The first export container, shipped to Valencia, Spain, during the trial run, has already demonstrated the potential of the new EXIM capability.
Exporters who currently route consignments to western markets through Colombo, Singapore or Dubai will now have the option of moving cargo directly through Vizhinjam, potentially cutting transit times and logistics costs.
For Kerala’s small and medium enterprises, the implications could be substantial.
Agricultural produce, spices, cashew, marine products, handloom and textile exporters are among those expected to benefit from direct access to overseas markets.
The state government is using the occasion to launch ‘Mission Samudra’, an ambitious port-led industrial and logistics development programme built around the concept of a ‘Port City’.
The vision encompasses a wider Vizhinjam Maritime Economic Region, with eight industrial clusters, three new cities and Kerala’s 600-km coastline forming its economic hinterland.
The Rs 400-crore catalytic fund will focus on ports and connectivity, logistics development, and clusters and cities, besides programme management and capacity building, through 14 sub-schemes.
Officials expect the initiative to leverage more than ten times the public investment by 2031 through private participation in manufacturing, logistics, services and infrastructure.
The commencement of EXIM operations is also expected to trigger demand for warehouses, cold-storage facilities, container freight stations and logistics parks, creating employment across Thiruvananthapuram and neighbouring districts.
With road and rail connectivity strengthening, Vizhinjam could increasingly become the preferred gateway for large-scale exports from India.
For Kerala, the larger proposition is clear: Vizhinjam is no longer merely a port where global cargo changes ships. It is positioning itself as a port through which Kerala intends to change its economic course.
–IANS
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