Thiruvananthapuram: The inauguration ceremony for the second and third phase of Vizhinjam port is scheduled for November 5, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan set to preside over the event at the port. The Adani Group is developing these phases with an investment of ₹10,000 crore. The government has decided to hold the inauguration ahead of the local body elections as a celebratory milestone and has instructed Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) and the Adani Group to organise the event as a grand celebration.

The first phase of the project, a public-private partnership worth ₹7,700 crore, aimed to handle 1 million containers annually. However, within just 10 months of commercial operations, Vizhinjam port has already handled 1.15 million containers from 525 ships, achieved solely through transshipment.

In the second phase, the port’s breakwater will be extended from three to four kilometres, and a new 1,200-metre berth will be added, extending the current 800-metre berth. Additionally, 77.7 hectares of land will be reclaimed from the sea to accommodate the port’s ancillary facilities. Upon completion, the port will be capable of handling 4 million containers annually. The port has already welcomed ultra-large container vessels such as MSC Irina, one of the world’s largest container ships.

EXIM cargo (exports and imports) operations are set to commence in November. The Adani Group aims to complete the second and third phases by 2028, further boosting the port’s capacity to 4 million containers annually.

This will be the fourth major celebration organised by the government in connection with the port over the past two years. In October 2023, the Chief Minister welcomed the arrival of a crane-carrying ship. He also inaugurated a trial run in July 2024, while the official opening of the port was conducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, 2024.