Vizhinjam port likely to be operational by May 2023

Work on the Vizhinjam international seaport project is progressing, with May 2023 as the deadline, for the first mainline vessel to call at the port according to Ports Minister Ahamed Devarkovil.

Devarkovil told the media after a port project review meeting here on Wednesday that the project requires around 80 lakh tonnes of rocks for the breakwater construction, of which 30 lakh tonnes have already been received.

12 lakh tonnes of the 30 lakh tonnes of rocks brought to the site were used in the sea during construction, while the remaining 18 lakh tonnes were stored on the construction site. The ports department has also decided to conduct a two-week review of the progress. Large vessels will be able to dock at the port by May 23, 2023, and the barge will be operational by October.

The port operator, Adani Vizhinjam Ports Limited (AVPL), recently said that the project's commissioning would be delayed due to a lack of rocks, Ockhi cyclones, and back-to-back floods. The operator was required to commission Phase I of the port by December 2019 under the terms of a contract signed between the state government and AVPL.

Vizhinjam Port is a port in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, that is scheduled to open in 2021 on the Arabian Sea coast at Vizhinjam. With a natural draught depth of 24 m, it will be India's deepest port once completed. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 6595 crores, divided into three phases.

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