Vizhinjam port receives location code ahead of trial run

Vizhinjam port receives location code ahead of trial run

Ahead of the scheduled commencement of the commercial operations of the Vizhinjam international seaport, the port received its location code, a key milestone towards signifying the port’s readiness to serve as a major transshipment hub. The new code enhances the port’s logistical capabilities along with paving the way for increased trade and economic activity in the region.

The port developer, Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), announced in a Facebook post the location code—IN NYY 1—it received from the Indian government on June 21, 2024. ‘IN’ stands for India, while ‘NYY’ represents Neyyattinkara. Since the Vizhinjam port owned by the State government has the location code ‘VIZ,’ the port developer applied for the code with NYY for the new port as the Vizhinjam port area falls under the Neyyattinkara taluk, said sources in the port.

The work towards commencing the trial run of the port in July itself and commercial operations by December is fast progressing. The trial run was earlier scheduled for May, which was subsequently postponed to June and then to July following the delay in readying the port infrastructure for the trial run. The construction of the 2960-metre-long breakwater has been completed, while the construction of the protection wall around the breakwater is underway. Out of the 800-metre berth constructed, the berth with a length of 400 metres is ready for operation, said Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan in Assembly on Monday.  

Out of the 1,700-metre four-lane road required to link the port with the National Highway, the work on the 600-metre road has been completed, while the remaining work is progressing. The commissioning work related to installing 21 Cantilever rail-mounted gantry (CRMG) and eight Rail-Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes imported to the port from China is also underway.

The ₹7,700 crore deep-water international port constructed under the public-private partnership model is expected to be a game changer in trade and economic activities based in Kerala. Once commissioned, the port developed by the Adani Group will be one of the largest ports in the world. The project, which was scheduled to be commissioned in 2019, got delayed due to various reasons, and December 2024 is the revised deadline for the port developer.