The Vizhinjam International Seaport has crossed the milestone of handling 4 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) containers by facilitating the berthing of 202 ships since the trial run of the port began in July 2024. Of the 4 lakh TEU of cargo it handled, 1.5 lakhs TEU containers were during the trial run period, and the remaining 2.5 lakhs TEU during the commercial operation period, which started on December 3.
The Kerala government has received a sum of ₹33 crore as tax from the Vizhinjam International Seaport. Similarly, the port concessionaire, Adani Vizhinjam Private Port Limited (AVPPL), has netted a revenue of ₹181 crore from the port operations as of last week.
Meanwhile, Dubai-based international company Sharaf Group has plans to develop an Inland Container Terminal with an investment of ₹5,000 crore in the Vizhinjam International Seaport. The investment commitment made during the Vizhinjam Conclave held in Thiruvananthapuram at the end of January has now materialized as Expressions of Interest (EOI) at Invest Kerala.
The construction of this project will begin as soon as the government provides the necessary land. Sharaf Group already operates one of India’s largest Inland Container Depots (ICDs) on 110 acres in New Delhi and has a network of 47 rail connections across the country. The group’s entry into Vizhinjam is expected to attract more international investors to the region, said sources.
As part of the Vizhinjam Seaport, international companies have also expressed their willingness to invest in various sectors. A total of 12 companies have expressed interest in projects ranging from ₹50 crore to ₹5,000 crore. The commencement of operations for domestic cargo at Vizhinjam Port is expected to mark the beginning of these companies’ activities.
Discussions with more potential investors are also progressing. Once the formalities for the companies that have submitted EOIs are completed, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with additional investors will be finalized. The State government is responsible for identifying and providing the necessary land for these projects.
Published – March 08, 2025 07:04 pm IST