Vizhinjam Port to be fully commissioned by May next year: Karan Adani

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“We expect the first vessel to berth in October this year, that’s when we expect the first equipment to come. We expect the Phase 1 of the port (400 metre quay) to be commissioned by March 2024 and the balance by May 2024. So, we expect the full commissioning of Vizhinjam Port by May 2024,” Karan Adani said recently after the company announced the fourth quarterandannualfinancialresults.

The new port is designed to cut India’s dependence on nearby Colombo to send and receive container cargo.

According to the concession agreement signed on August 17, 2015, Vizhinjam port was slated to start operationsonDecember3,2019.

Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd (AVPPL), the APSEZ unit developing the port, has blamed force majeure events arising from acts of God such as the Cyclone Ockhi,highwaves,aNationalGreenTribunalorder,the pandemic,CycloneTauktaeandreasonsattributableto Kerala Government authorities for the delay in achieving the scheduled commercial operation date (COD)setbytheconcessionagreementfortheproject.

The delay and the reasons behind it are currently beingheardbyanarbitrationpanel.

The Vizhinjam project is entitled to receive a viability grant funding/equity support grant of Rs1,635 crore to be shared by the Centre (Rs 818 crore) and the Kerala government (Rs 817 crore) to boost its viability, making it the first and only port project to be offered such a grant. Of this, Rs1,227 crore will be given during the construction phase and the balance during the operation period spanning40yearsextendablebyanother20years.

Viability Grant Funding (VGF) is a one-time grant given by the Central government for supporting publicprivate-partnership (PPP) projects in infrastructure that are economically justified but fall short of financial viability.

The VGF was the basis on which the bid was awarded to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which quoted the least grant of Rs1,635 crore in an auction in2015.

The “in-principle” approval for granting VGF to the Vizhinjam port project was accorded by the Centre in February2015.

Adani Vizhinjam Port has secured “final approval” from the Union Finance Ministry’s Department of Economic Affairs in October 2022 for the construction phaseVGFofRs1,227crore.

SCI CMT Southampton, Rotterdam,Antwerp,Dunkirk, Felixstowe, Le Havre COSCO COSCO Shpg.

North Cont., Scandinavian, Red Sea & Med. Ports. Indial Indial Shpg.

North Cont., Scandinavian, Red Sea & Med. Ports. Seahorse Ship U.K., North Continent, Scandinavian Ports & Riga, Klaipede, Tallim, St.Petersburg, Genoa, Valencia, Fos Globelink Globelink WW U.K., North Continent, Scandinavian Ports & Ashdod, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Athens, Unifeeder Group Unifeeder Ag. U.K., North Continent & Scandinavian Ports. Dron.2 & TLP TSS L'Global Ag. U.K., North Continent & Scandinavian Ports. Dronagiri-2 AMI Intl. AMI Global U.K., North Cont., Scandinavian, Red Sea & Med. Ports. Dronagiri-3 Kalko Faredeal U.K., North Continent & Scandinavian Ports. Dronagiri-3 Team Leader Team Leader Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Barcelona,

FOR U.K., NORTH CONT., SCANDINAVIAN, RED SEA & MED. PORTS from NSIGT

TO LOAD FOR U.K., NORTH CONT., SCANDINAVIAN, RED SEA & MED. PORTS from GTI

To

FOR U.K., NORTH CONT., SCANDINAVIAN, RED SEA & MED. PORTS from BMCT

TO LOAD FOR USA, CANADA, ATLANTIC, PACIFIC, SOUTH AMERICAN & WEST INDIES PORTS from NSIGT

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PACIFIC, SOUTH AMERICAN & WEST INDIES PORTS from GTI

TO LOAD FOR USA, CANADA, ATLANTIC, PACIFIC, SOUTH AMERICAN & WEST INDIES PORTS from BMCT

VESSELS DUE AT NSFT/NSICT/NSIGT/GTI/BMCT FOR EXPORT LOADING

TO LOAD FOR WEST ASIA GULF PORTS From NSICT

PoseidonShpg. Jebel Ali, Bandar Abbas.

CFS Cordelia Cordelia Cont. Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dammam,Jubail, Hamad, Baharin, Shuaiba, Shuwaikh, Sohar, Umm Qasr Alligator Shpg. Aiyer Shpg. Jebel Ali.

BSS Bhavani Shpg. Jebel Ali, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Bandar Abbas. Ashte CFS Seahorse Ship Gulf Ports.

LMT Orchid Gulf Ports.

Bay Line Freight Conn. Port Sudan & Al Sokhna

From BMCT

TO LOAD FOR INDIAN SUB CONTINENT from BMCT

FOR FAR EAST, CHINA & JAPAN PORTS from NSICT

Pelepas,Xiangang,Qingdao,Laem Chabang. Dronagiri-3

TS Lines TS Lines (I) P.Kelang,Singapore,Tanjung Pelepas,Xiangang,Qingdao,Laem Chabang. Dronagiri-2

HMM HMM Shpg. P.Kelang(S), Singapore, Xiangang,Qingdao, Kaohsiung. Seabird

CU Lines Seahorse Ship Port Kelang, Singapore, Haiphong, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo.

BSS Bhavani Shpg. Port Kelang, Singapore, Jakarta, Yangoon, Surabaya, Belawan, Ashte