India took a decisive step towards maritime self-reliance on Wednesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala—India’s first deepwater container transshipment port.
Touted as a game-changer for India’s logistics and trade infrastructure, the Rs 8,900-crore facility marks a significant leap in the country’s ambitions to emerge as a global shipping hub and reduce its dependence on foreign transshipment ports. Operated under a public-private partnership model, the port is jointly owned by the Kerala government (61.5%), Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (28.9%), and the Union government (9.6%). With its commissioning, Vizhinjam becomes the only Indian port capable of handling Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs), including ships that can carry over 20,000 containers.
Located just 10 nautical miles from one of the world’s busiest east-west shipping routes in the Arabian Sea, the port’s strategic placement is expected to reroute a significant portion of Indian transshipment cargo—currently handled by overseas ports such as Colombo, Singapore, and Jebel Ali—back to domestic shores. This shift could save Indian shippers an estimated $80 to $100 per container and retain nearly $200 million annually that is currently lost to foreign port operators. The Vizhinjam facility’s defining advantage is its natural draft of 20 metres, available just one kilometre from shore. This eliminates the need for costly and environmentally detrimental dredging, a process most other Indian ports rely on to accommodate large vessels. Moreover, the port’s coastline experiences minimal littoral drift, reducing maintenance overheads.
Equally impressive is its multimodal connectivity. Just 2 km from a national highway, 12 km from a major railway line, and 15 km from Trivandrum International Airport, Vizhinjam is poised to enable faster cargo turnaround and efficient inland distribution—further driving down logistical costs. The port is already functional on a limited scale, having received MSC Türkiye, one of the largest cargo ships in the world, in April this year. Its full operational capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually is set to expand by an additional 6.4 million TEUs in subsequent phases, positioning it to become a transshipment hub not just for India, but for the wider South Asian region.
The commissioning of Vizhinjam is a bold stride in India’s larger port modernisation and infrastructure expansion agenda. It aligns with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and the national push to reduce carbon footprints in freight logistics. By cutting unnecessary maritime detours and investing in natural, sustainable port infrastructure, India is not only aiming to reduce costs but also to reduce emissions—a critical part of the country’s climate commitments. The move also comes at a time when global shipping routes are increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions. By handling more of its cargo internally, India strengthens its supply chain resilience and lowers exposure to external shocks.
Meanwhile, two more deepwater ports are on the horizon: one at Vadhvan in Maharashtra and another proposed in Great Nicobar Island, both envisioned to further bolster India’s shipping infrastructure. Vizhinjam’s inauguration is more than a ribbon-cutting—it is a symbol of India’s intent to take control of its maritime destiny, fortify trade resilience, and move towards an efficient, self-reliant, and greener logistics ecosystem.
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