India’s first Mega Transshipment Container Terminal at Vizhinjam, in the western state of Kerala will be developed by privately-owned Adani Ports and the Government of Kerala. Being built at a cost of $1 billion, the port is scheduled to be operational in 2018.
Vizhinjam is located 10-12 nautical miles from the busy Persian Gulf – Malacca shipping lane which accounts for almost a third of global shipping traffic. The port has a natural depth of 60 -65 feet that will enable efficient handling of mother vessels. The site also has the advantage of minimal littoral drift, resulting in minimal siltation and therefore limited maintenance dredging.
“The port can attract a large share of the container transshipment traffic destined for, or originating from India which is now being diverted primarily through Colombo, Singapore and Dubai,” said an Adani Group executive who declined to be named. Additionally, the port will have dedicated berths for India’s navy and coastguard, according to a government note seen by Reuters.
India’s Shipping Ministry disclosed to Reuters that India wanted its ports to excel in parameters such as “turnaround time, efficiency, last-mile connectivity, and infrastructure” in the same way other good ports of the world did.
Modi’s government expects cargo traffic at its ports to jump by two-thirds by 2021 as India ramps up exports of goods including cars and other machinery, reports Fortune.
