Thiruvananthapuram: Vizhinjam Port is only a few years away from becoming the hub of Asia's cargo traffic. By 2030, Vizhinjam will be ready to compete with the ports of Colombo and Singapore near the Indian subcontinent. 

A whopping Rs 5,552 crore was spent in the first phase of the completion of the construction of the port, done in PPP model. Vizhinjam is the first port in the country to be designed entirely as a trans-shipment port.

In the next phase, Adani Group will invest Rs 10,000 crore only for port development. Currently, there is an 800 m berth that can accommodate two ships at a time. In the next phase, a system that can berth five large ships simultaneously will be developed. The Adani Group has informed that the second and third phases of the project will start this year and will be operational by 2028. 

It is estimated that 2,000 people will get direct employment. Huge investments will flow to Vizhinjam for projects like the Green Hydrogen. 

Projects like Logistics Hub, Trivandrum Outer Ring Road and Outer Area Growth Corridor, including eight Special Economic Zones, will also come up at Vizhinjam.

Port to be with Adani for 65 years 

With the completion of the next two phases, the management rights of Vizhinjam International Port will go to the Adani Group for a period of 65 years. As per the agreement, Adani Group was given the right to operate the port for 40 years. There was also a condition that if the second and third phases were completed after paying the amount on their own, the right to operate would be given to the Adani Group for another 20 years.
The government had accepted the Adani Group's contention that the project, which was supposed to be completed in 2019, was delayed due to uncontrollable factors such as Okhi and floods. Therefore, the construction period has been extended by another five years. With this, the port will be under the control of the Adani Group for a total of 65 years till 2075.

Dividend from 2034 onwards

For the first 15 years, including the construction period, up to 2034, the entire dividend will go to the Adani Group. From the 16th year, one percent dividend will be paid to Vizhinjam International Sea Port Limited (VISL), which is controlled by the state government. This will increase by one percent for up to 40 years to 25 percent.

Large companies express interest

Even before the start of commercial operations, the world's leading shipping companies are showing interest in Vizhinjam because of the global crisis. The world's largest shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has also announced that it will soon arrive at Vizhinjam.

The reason for the sudden shift of attention of shipping companies to Vizhinjam is that they have to wait four to five days in the open sea to unload cargo at Colombo and Singapore, the trans-shipment ports that currently handle cargo to and from India.

Omnipresent Adani 

Adani Group has ports in eight states of the country. Four in Gujarat alone. The port of Mundra is important among them. It is the largest commercial port in India. The list goes on to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal. Apart from this, it manages foreign ports as well.

Port of Haifa in Israel

Haifa is one of Israel's two ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Adani had acquired Haifa Port in 2023. The port on the eastern side of the Mediterranean is one of Adani's most profitable ports outside India. Adani Group's planned international trade network by sea will start from Haifa.

Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania

Adani Group also has a port in the East African country of Tanzania. Adani acquired Dar es Salaam port in 2024. Adani owns the port in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, under a 30-year contract.

Share in Colombo Port

Adani Ports is the major shareholder of Colombo West Container Port. It is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka.