Kerala: Vizhinjam Port's Breakwater Construction Is Complete, Trials In June

The Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram has reached a significant milestone with the completion of the 3,100-metre-long breakwater.

This crucial development sets the stage for the commencement of trial operations, marking a pivotal moment in the port's journey towards full-scale functionality.

Breakwaters are mainly built to shelter vessels and are typically constructed in water depths ranging from 10 to 25 metres.

According to Ports Minister V N Vasavan, the inaugural trial run of port operations, encompassing activities such as container loading and unloading, is scheduled to kick off by the second week of June.

Following this trial phase, the port is poised for a commercial launch by Onam, serving as a symbolic gift to the state.

Minister Vasavan made these announcements following his inspection of the breakwater site and other essential infrastructure components, including cranes supplied by a Chinese-based company. He underscored the significance of these developments, emphasising the meticulous preparations underway for the port's operational debut, reports The Hindu.

The Adani Group, responsible for the construction of the port, has assured the availability of all technical support systems and requisite expertise for the trial run.

Currently, 21 cranes, including eight rail mounted quay cranes and 24 rail mounted gantry cranes, have been delivered out of the total order of 32 cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company Limited.

Additionally, Minister Vasavan noted that two more ships carrying the remaining cranes are en route to Vizhinjam. The installation and trial run of the 15 cranes already on-site have been successfully completed, signifying significant progress in the port's operational readiness.

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

The private partner, the Concessionaire M/s Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited, commenced the construction on 5 December 2015.

Vizhinjam Port offers large-scale automation for quick turnaround of vessels with state-of-the-art infrastructure to handle megamax containerships. Its capacity in phase 1 is to be 1 million TEUs and in subsequent phases, another 6.2 million TEUs will be added.