How this comparison is calculated
The recommendation weighs five things, and the weighting shifts based on what you told us. If you said your shipment is urgent, transit time counts for more. If you move 20+ TEU a month, inland haulage cost counts for more, because a ₹6,000 difference per container becomes real money at volume.
- Inland haulage — road distance from your district to each port, at prevailing per-km container trucking rates, with the usual minimum charge applied.
- Ocean transit — port-to-port days on the fastest regular service to your destination.
- Sailing frequency — how many times a week you can actually get a box on a ship to that destination. A port two days faster is no use if it only sails once a fortnight.
- Direct versus transshipment — whether your box goes on one vessel or gets relayed at Colombo, Salalah or Jebel Ali. Every relay adds delay risk and a handling touch.
- Ecosystem readiness — CFS capacity, customs house agent density, empty container availability and reefer plug points at each port. Cochin currently leads here; Vizhinjam is closing the gap fast.
The short version, if you don't want to fill in the form
Vizhinjam usually wins when…
- You are shipping to Europe, the Mediterranean or the US East Coast. Vizhinjam sits 10 nautical miles off the main east–west shipping lane and gets direct mainline calls, so your box skips the Colombo relay. Europe-bound transit has been quoted at around 24 days versus close to two months previously from South India.
- You are based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kanyakumari or Tirunelveli. The haulage advantage is decisive.
- Your cargo is time-sensitive and long-haul — the transshipment saving compounds.
- You need deep-draft vessels. Vizhinjam's 18–20 m natural draft takes the largest container ships afloat; Cochin is deepening from 14.5 m towards 16 m.
Cochin usually wins when…
- You are shipping to the Gulf — Jebel Ali, Dammam, Doha. Cochin has far more weekly Gulf sailings, and frequency beats a one-day transit edge on a five-day voyage.
- You are based north of Alappuzha — Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur, or Coimbatore and Tiruppur.
- You are a first-time exporter. The CHA network, CFS capacity and empty container availability at Vallarpadam are mature. Vizhinjam's ecosystem is still building out.
- You ship reefer cargo — marine products, fresh produce. Cochin has established reefer infrastructure and the cold chain feeding it.
- You need rail connectivity inland. DP World is exploring a roughly 500 km rail service to Bengaluru from Vallarpadam.
Frequently asked
Can I actually export directly from Vizhinjam now?
Yes. Vizhinjam commenced full-scale export–import (EXIM) operations on 18 August 2026. Before that it handled transshipment only, meaning Indian cargo could not be loaded or discharged there. That restriction is gone, and customs clearance for gateway cargo is now in place.
Is Vizhinjam cheaper than Cochin?
Not automatically. Ocean freight on a direct mainline service is often lower per container than a transshipped route, but that saving can be wiped out by inland haulage if you are 300 km further from the port. That trade-off is exactly what this tool calculates. As a rough rule: south of Alappuzha, Vizhinjam usually wins on total cost; north of it, Cochin usually does.
What about Tuticorin, Mangalore or Nhava Sheva?
For exporters in southern Tamil Nadu, Tuticorin is often the right answer and this tool will say so rather than force a Kerala port on you. Mangalore matters for Kasaragod and coastal Karnataka. Nhava Sheva remains relevant for very high-frequency lanes. If your result comes back as a close call, ask us and we will price the third option too.
How accurate are these numbers?
Transit days and sailing frequencies are indicative, based on published carrier schedules and reviewed periodically — they are not a booking quote. Haulage costs are calculated from road distance at prevailing market rates and shown as a band, because actual trucking rates vary with fuel, season, return-load availability and your own negotiated terms. Use this to make a shortlist, then get a firm quote before you commit.
Does this tool favour one port?
No. The logic is published above and the tool recommends Cochin for roughly as many input combinations as it recommends Vizhinjam, because that reflects reality — the two ports are genuinely better at different things. If you think a result is wrong for your lane, tell us; we update the data.
Indicative only. Transit times, sailing frequencies and haulage rates change constantly and vary by carrier, contract and season. This tool is a decision aid, not a quotation, and no commercial decision should rest on it alone. Data reviewed September 2026. Kerala Ports accepts no liability for decisions made on these figures — please confirm with your carrier or with us before booking.