Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 (IANS) Kerala Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan said on Tuesday here that the construction work for the next phase of the Vizhinjam International Seaport would begin in January next year.

He said the first phase of operations at the Vizhinjam International Seaport has progressed far more successfully than expected, with nearly four lakh more containers than the target had been handled during the first year of commercial operations.

The Minister was speaking at a press conference in Vizhinjam after a review meeting on the port's ongoing and future activities.

"Commercial operations at the port commenced on December 3, 2024, after engineers issued the completion certificate. While the target for the first year was to handle 10 lakh containers, the port has, according to the latest figures, received 636 vessels and handled nearly 1.4 million containers," Minister Vasavan said.

Some of the world's largest container vessels, including MSC Turkey, MSC Irene and MSC Verona -- ships that have never before called at Asian shores -- have berthed at Vizhinjam, the Minister added.

Preparations have been completed to launch the second, third and fourth phases of construction of the port.

"In the second phase, the existing 800-metre berth will be extended by an additional 1,200 metres, taking the total berth length to 2,000 metres. This will enable multiple large vessels to berth and handle cargo simultaneously. The existing 2.96-km breakwater will also be extended by 920 metres, increasing its total length to more than 3.9 km," Minister Vasavan said.

The inauguration of construction works for the next phase will be held in the second week of January, with the final date to be announced after confirming the availability of the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and representatives of the Adani Group.

Under the revised agreement, the second, third and fourth phases are scheduled to be completed by 2028, after which Vizhinjam is expected to emerge as a globally prominent port.

Work on improving connectivity through the temporarily constructed approach road is nearing completion and will be inaugurated soon, enabling the commencement of cargo movement by road.

Land acquisition for the 10.7-km railway line to provide rail connectivity to the port is progressing.

The Minister also said that with Vizhinjam recently receiving Integrated Check Post (ICP) status, new tourism-related facilities can be developed in consultation with the Tourism Department.

Around 50 hectares of land will be acquired to create yard facilities and inspection infrastructure required for the completion of the remaining phases.

As of now, the state government has received about Rs 97 crore in tax revenue from the port.

At present, nearly 1,000 people are directly employed, and upon completion of all phases, more than 6,000 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in logistics and allied industries are expected to be generated.

Highlighting the port's natural advantages -- including a depth of 20 metres, a rocky seabed, and proximity of just 10 nautical miles from the international shipping channel -- the Minister said it was a matter of pride that vessels which do not call at Dubai, Singapore or Colombo are now berthing at Vizhinjam.

--IANS

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