Vizhinjam International Port, Kerala’s newest maritime gateway, has crossed a notable milestone — over one lakh containers passed through the port in March alone. The official number: 1.08 lakh TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which is how shipping folk measure containers.
In the same month, 51 ships docked at the port, which only started commercial operations in December 2024. That means this volume was handled in just the fourth month of activity — fairly quick, considering ports usually take much longer to warm up to full speed.
Since December, Vizhinjam has seen over 240 vessels and handled 4.88 lakh TEUs. While that might sound like a lot, it’s still mostly transshipment work for now — that is, unloading containers from giant cargo ships and moving them to smaller feeder vessels, which then take them to other ports.
No domestic cargo has moved through Vizhinjam yet. This is largely because customs and immigration systems are not operational and rail-road links to the port are still being stitched together.
What makes this port different is its natural depth — over 20 metres — which allows massive ‘mother ships’ to dock close to the shore. Not many ports in India can offer that.
The assumption is that once all supporting infrastructure is ready, Vizhinjam could handle bigger volumes and possibly become a key player in regional shipping. But for now, things are still in setup mode.
Work on the road connecting the port to National Highway 66 is moving fast, according to government updates. There's also an underground railway line being laid from Vizhinjam to Balaramapuram, which, if completed as planned, could ease container movement further inland.
The Konkan Railway Corporation, which is building the line, recently received ₹96.2 crore as the first instalment. Southern Railway’s construction wing has got ₹243.08 crore to build facilities at Balaramapuram station, and ₹170 crore has been given to the district collector for acquiring land. All of this is part of a ₹2,100 crore loan sourced from NABARD.
The tunnel section of this railway project is expected to cost ₹1,482.92 crore and might take 45 months to complete — though timelines in such projects often stretch.
Even though operations are on, the port hasn’t had a formal inauguration yet. The state government is expected to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the event, possibly after the ongoing Parliament session.
There’s also an incentive — ₹817.8 crore of viability gap funding from the Centre is linked to commissioning the port. Adani Ports, which is operating Vizhinjam, is reportedly hoping the inauguration can happen within April.