In a landmark moment for India’s maritime sector, MSC Irina—the world’s largest container ship by capacity—docked at the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Monday morning, signalling the strategic emergence of the under-construction port as a future transshipment hub of global importance.
The vessel, operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), will remain berthed at Vizhinjam until Tuesday.
Commissioned in March 2023 and entering service the following month, MSC Irina represents the pinnacle of modern maritime engineering. With a staggering capacity of 24,346 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), the vessel is designed to maximise container traffic between Asia and Europe. It surpasses the previous record-holder, OOCL Spain, by 150 TEUs.
Measuring 400 metres in length and 61.3 metres in width, MSC Irina is nearly four times longer than a FIFA-regulation football pitch and as wide as a 20-lane highway. The ship can stack containers up to 26 tiers high and spans 24 rows across its breadth, offering unmatched economies of scale for global trade.
Built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in China, the vessel is part of MSC’s new class of Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) aimed at enhancing efficiency while meeting modern environmental benchmarks. It features a next-generation hull design and energy-saving technologies that reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 4 percent.
This is MSC Irina's first call at a South Asian port, and its arrival reinforces Vizhinjam’s credentials as one of the few ports in the region capable of handling ULCVs. The deep-draft port, located near the international shipping lane that connects Europe and East Asia via the Suez Canal, has a natural draft of over 20 metres—ideal for berthing the world’s largest container ships without the need for constant dredging.
Vizhinjam has recently handled other mega-vessels in MSC’s fleet, such as MSC Türkiye and MSC Michel Cappellini, highlighting its growing relevance in the global shipping network.
“This is a watershed moment for Indian maritime infrastructure,” a senior port official said. “The arrival of MSC Irina validates Vizhinjam’s design, location, and long-term potential as a sustainable, high-capacity transshipment port.”
MSC Irina’s visit also underlines a broader shift in the shipping industry toward sustainable practices. The vessel is equipped with advanced systems to improve energy efficiency, including an air lubrication system, shaft generators, and optimised propulsion features. Together, these help meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decarbonisation targets while keeping operating costs in check.
India, too, is aligning with global efforts by planning a revamp of its maritime rules to meet emission reduction goals—changes that are expected to raise short-term shipping costs but offer long-term environmental and trade benefits.
As India seeks to expand its presence in the global maritime trade ecosystem, the successful docking of MSC Irina at Vizhinjam is more than symbolic. It highlights the country’s readiness to handle the next generation of container shipping, reduce dependency on foreign ports for transshipment (such as Colombo and Singapore), and emerge as a central node in international trade flows.
The port, being developed through a public-private partnership between the Kerala government and Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd., is expected to begin full commercial operations in the coming months.