PM Modi to dedicate Vizhinjam Seaport to the nation on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport to the nation on Friday, May 2, placing the country on top of the global maritime map.

The commissioning of the Vizhinjam Seaport on Friday will mark a rare event in Indian port history, reminiscent of the inauguration of the Cochin Port nearly a century ago. Prime Minister Modi, who is expected to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday evening, will on Friday morning take a helicopter ride from the Pangode helipad to the Vizhinjam Port helipad, reaching there around 10.05 am, ahead of the ceremony. He will first visit the port’s operations building to inspect the control systems and interact with the staff. He will then proceed to the berth to observe the container-handling operations.

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The commissioning ceremony will be held at 11 am on Friday. The inauguration ceremony will be held at a special venue at the port entrance. Prime Minister Modi is expected to address the public at this venue, which has a seating capacity of 7,500. The ceremony will also be attended by Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Ministers Suresh Gopi, George Kurian, state ministers, and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani.

The Vizhinjam Seaport is the country’s first dedicated container transshipment port that represents the transformative advancements being made in India’s maritime sector as part of the unified vision of Viksit Bharat.

Vizhinjam Port, having strategic importance, has been identified as a key priority project that will contribute to strengthening India’s position in global trade, enhance logistics efficiency, and reduce reliance on foreign ports for cargo transshipment. Its natural deep draft of nearly 20 metres and location near one of the world’s busiest sea trade routes further strengthen India’s position in global trade.

In 2015, the Kerala government signed an agreement with the Adani Group to develop the Vizhinjam Port under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. In October 2023, the Vizhinjam Port project also came closer to reality when the cargo ship ‘Shen Hua 15A’, with cranes from China, anchored off the coast.

Vizhinjam, which has been given the international location code ‘IN TRV 01’, is a unique port in India with direct access to the world’s major shipping lanes, opening new doors of global logistics opportunities for the country. The port, which started its trial run on July 13, 2024, officially started commercial operations on December 3, 2024. The port has already handled more than 246 container ships and 5 lakh TEUs of cargo. The total revenue earned was Rs 243 crore.

The capital city of Thiruvananthapuram has been put on high security alert in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. PM Modi, who is expected to arrive here on Thursday evening, will stay overnight at Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Kerala Governor.