PM Modi inaugurated the Vizhinjam Port in the presence of Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani.
On May 2, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ₹8867 crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, a landmark project developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) under a public-private partnership. Hailed as India’s first deep-water transshipment hub, the port is set to transform the nation’s maritime landscape, slashing logistics costs by 30-40% and reclaiming ₹1682-1850 crore annually lost to foreign ports like Colombo. Modi, addressing a crowd alongside Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, called it a “symbol of new-age development,” strategically positioned 10 nautical miles from global shipping lanes to anchor the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). For Kerala’s 3.5 crore residents, Vizhinjam is a beacon of economic promise. Its 20-meter natural draft, India’s deepest breakwater, and AI-powered systems—developed with IIT Madras—enable handling of mega-ships like MSC Türkiye, docking 285 vessels and 6 lakh TEUs since July 2024 trials. The port’s Phase 1 capacity of 1 million TEUs, set to triple by 2028 with ₹10,000 crore more from Adani, will create 5,000 jobs and boost exports, vital for fishermen in Vizhinjam village and traders in Kochi. Modi highlighted India’s doubled port capacity and 30% faster turnaround times over the past decade, with Vizhinjam positioning India among the top three seafaring nations.
Modi’s speech blended vision with political jabs. Referencing the IMEC agreements from the 2023 G20 Summit, he underscored Kerala’s pivotal role, saying, “Kerala will benefit in a big way.” He took a swipe at the INDI alliance, noting Vijayan and Tharoor’s presence would “disturb the sleep of many,” prompting Congress’s KC Venugopal to retort on X that the opposition would “sleep peacefully” while pressuring the BJP on caste census demands. Modi also paid tribute to Adi Shankaracharya on his birth anniversary, linking Kerala’s spiritual legacy to national unity, and expressed condolences for Pope Francis’s demise, noting President Murmu’s attendance at his funeral. The port’s journey, conceptualized in 1991, overcame hurdles through a 2015 PPP agreement, with Kerala funding ₹5595 crore—India’s largest state port investment—and the Centre adding ₹800 crore. X posts from @ShashiTharoor credit late CM Oommen Chandy for initiating the project, though opposition leader V.D. Satheesan’s absence sparked a credit war between LDF and UDF. Despite political sparring, the port’s connectivity to NH-66, a planned railway link, and Trivandrum airport positions it as a multi-modal hub, rivaling Dubai and Singapore.
The port’s success hinges on sustaining community trust and completing phases by 2028. As Modi dedicated Vizhinjam to the nation, his vision of a “Viksit Bharat” resonated, with Kerala’s shores now a gateway to India’s global trade ambitions.
