First ship at Vizhinjam port by September: Kerala CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Efforts are on to bring the first ship to Vizhinjam international sea port by Septemberthisyear,said KeralaChiefMinisterPinarayi Vijayan recently.

Responding to a question in the legislative assembly, the CM said the project will be a game-changer for the state as major cities and business centres have come aroundsuchmotherportsaroundtheworld.

“We are planning to bring the first ship to the port by September. Work is going on at a brisk pace and serious attempts are on to realise this,” he said, adding that with the commissioning of the port, an industrial corridor will bedevelopedinsouthKerala.

“It will usher in development in the area. The government is planning to develop industrial parks, logistic centres and many other projects. It will give employmentopportunitiestomanyyoungsters,”hesaid.

The Adani Group is developing the first mother ship project of the country in Vizhinjam, 16km south of the state capital.

Now, the country is depending heavily on Colombo, Singapore and Dubai mother ports for the transhipment of heavy cargo to the country incurring additional cost and time. Once the Vizhinjam port is functional, it willbridgethegap.

Once fully commissioned, the largest mother ship of the world can easily be anchored here, said port officials, adding that five mother ships can be berthed at a time after its full commissioning.

Conceived three decades ago, the port (with 20m natural depth), 12 nautical miles away from the international ship channel, is expected to be a big boost to the industrial growth of southern India, experts said.