Adani Group to invest Rs 16,000 Cr in Vizhinjam port phase II
Expected to be completed by December, 2028, the second phase of work includes a rail link, container yard, liquid berth, tank farm
India's trade with ASEAN nearly doubled, growing from 71 billion USD in 2016-17 to over 130 billion USD by 2024. (Representational Image)
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16: Adani group will invest over Rs 16,000 crore in the second phase of expansion work of the Vizhinjam international sea port in Kerala, being developed as the ‘Gateway port of South India’ targeting key catchment areas of Tirupur, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Kerala.
Expected to be completed by December, 2028, the second phase of work includes a rail link, container yard, liquid berth, tank farm, 920 meter of additional breakwater with multipurpose berths and other allied infrastructure. A crucial component of the second phase is the plan to reclaim an additional 78 hectares of land along the Arabian sea. Around 60 hectares of land were reclaimed between two cliffs in the first phase, where the existing infrastructure lies around 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram.
“We expect to complete the second phase work by December 2028. Konkan Railway is already working on the rail link,” Pradeep Jayaraman, CEO, Adani Vizhinjam Port, said, adding that there are plans to accommodate cruise ships in future. The port authorities have also executed an MoU for LNG bunkering - the first in India, while ship-to-ship bunkering trials completed.
An estimated Rs 8,000 crore was pumped in the first phase of development of the port, with the State government contributing around Rs 2,200 crore and Centre Rs 800 crore. It was developed and being operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.
In less than a year of operation, the port has handled around 700 vessels, including around 60 40-plus ultra large container vessels. In June last year, it had berthed and handled MSC IRINA, the world's largest container vessel to visit India and the largest to call at South Asian ports.
It is India’s first semi-automated container port, and first Indian port to deploy women automated crane operators, championing gender diversity in maritime operations.
Natural sea depth of 18–20 metres enables effortless berthing of large vessels without extensive dredging. It had also handled MSC Verona with an incoming draft depth of 17.1 meter, - a national record feat.