72 Per Cent of Vizhinjam Port Work Completed; First Phase Commissioning In December

The first phase of the under-construction Vizhinjam seaport project will be completed by December this year, Kerala Assembly was informed last week.

Replying to a question, Ports Minister V N Vasavan told the assembly that 72 per cent of the total works expected to be finished in the first phase has been completed.

This includes 73.72 per cent advancement in dredging and reclamation efforts, along with 68 per cent headway in constructing the breakwater, which spans a total length of 2,960 metres.

Furthermore, 52 per cent of the container yard construction and 73 per cent of crane and tug installation work have been successfully executed.

A total of eight ship-to-shore cranes and 24 cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes are planned to be installed in this phase. At present, four ships carrying containers have reached the port, and the installation of cranes is underway on-site.

In 2015, the state government signed a concession agreement with Adani Vizhinjam Ports Ltd (AVLP) of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), the private multi-port operator to build the superstructure and operate the seaport.

As per the agreement, the first phase was scheduled to be complete by December 2019.

Nevertheless, the progress of the project was impeded by a shortage of rocks required for constructing the breakwater, leading to delays. Sourcing the necessary rocks proved challenging, thereby causing the first phase of the project to miss its scheduled completion, said the minister.

The main function of breakwaters is to create a sheltered basin for vessels. The breakwaters are typically built in water between 10m and 25m deep.

The Vizhinjam International Port, hardly 11 nautical miles away from the international shipping channel, will be India’s first international deep-water transshipment port.

It has a natural draft of more than 18 metres, scalable up to 20 metres, which is crucial to get large vessels and mother ships. The mother ships will start reaching the port after the completion of the first phase.