- Vizhinjam International Sea Port, India’s largest transshipment port in Kerala, has welcomed its first container ship.
- The large cargo vessel, named ‘San Fernando,’ arrived from China at Vizhinjam International Sea Port.
- India’s largest transshipment port welcomed the ship’s arrival with a water salute from four tugs.
- The ship arrived from Xiamen Port in China and is owned by the well-known shipping corporation Maersk. It has a capacity of 8,000 to 9,000 TEUs.
- San Fernando, a 300-meter-long cargo ship, will offload 1,900 containers at Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL).
Vizhinjam port
- Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and advanced automation and IT systems, Vizhinjam is set to become India’s first semi-automated port.
- Vizhinjam International Port is being developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ).
- The construction work of the port began in 2016 and it is a public-private partnership project with a total investment of Rs 8,867 crore.
- For the development of the port, the central government gave Rs 818 crore, and the Kerala state government contributed over Rs 5,595 crore.
- It is expected to be fully operational in September or October 2024.