Revenue from cargo handling at Vizhinjam International Seaport, which is quickly becoming India’s transshipment powerhouse, has surpassed ₹450 crore. As the port begins its eighth month of commercial operations, this milestone is reached. 9.77 lakh containers have been handled by the 448 ships that have docked at Vizhinjam so far for cargo handling.

This information demonstrates the enormous potential of Vizhinjam Port, India’s first semi-automated transshipment port, in bolstering the nation’s transshipment infrastructure as well as creating economic prospects for Kerala. Approximately 2 to 2.5 crore cocontainers of maritime cargo are transported through India each year. Transshipment ports that can handle mother vessels 400 meters or longer handle around a quarter of this.

Containers are moved to smaller vessels and taken to shallower ports from Vizhinjam, which has the capacity to accept such large mother vessels, and vice versa.

The bulk of this business is centered in foreign ports like Colombo (Sri Lanka), Singapore, and Salalah (Oman) because India currently lacks equivalent transshipment ports. As a result, approximately USD 220 million in foreign exchange is lost as about 3 million containers are handled overseas. The Indian economy has suffered a significant loss as a result. Up to 1.5 million containers can presently be handled annually at Vizhinjam.

The port is expected to handle more than 30 lakh containers a year after the second phase of construction is finished in 2028. Up to four 400-meter-long mother vessels will be able to dock concurrently with the expansion of the existing 800-meter-long berth to 2 kilometers.

Currently, the port’s container movement is controlled by eight ship-to-shore cranes and 24 yard cranes. These figures will rise to 60 yard cranes and 20 ship-to-shore cranes in the following phase, which will significantly boost operational speed. The port’s cargo-handling efficiency will be further improved by the completion of multifunctional berths, fuel bunkering berths, and road and rail connectivity during this phase.