Row over Colachel port in Tamil Nadu may help Vizhinjam

The advantages include deep draught for high tonnage vessels, proximity to shipping lanes and a natural harbour. When the project was proposed during the UPA I regime, fishermen agitated and people refused to give land for the project. Though there were attempts to conduct feasibility studies, there was little progress. 

Container vessels from the Gulf to Singapore do not stop in Indian ports, but embark containers for India’s east coast ports, at Colombo, which is now a major south Asian transhipment hub. Smaller ships then ferry these containers from Colombo to India’s east coast ports. If Colachel port takes off, this problem will cease and Colombo will suffer a huge revenue loss. 

A Chennai port official on condition of anonymity said, “Nobody in Tamil Nadu seems to understand the importance of Colachel port. Local politics is delaying the project and the state will be affected when Vizhinjam garners all the trade.” On the contrary, Kerala is proactive on the Vizhinjam project specially after Kochi’s Vallarpadam container terminal failed to take off due to poor infrastructure and connectivity. Kerala too became pro-Vizhinjam only after union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari threatened to shift the project to Tamil Nadu if Kerala is not keen on supporting it. 

The then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy ensured that opposition parties supported and cleared the project. At the height of the tussle on whether the project should be at Vizhinjam or Colachel, the response from Tamil Nadu side was low key. “Neither Tamil Nadu’s political parties nor the state government showed any interest” a source said.

These proposed ports when completed can attract mother vessels plying in international shipping lanes due to their proximity thereby ending isolation of Indian ports. Both ports have natural harbours capable of berthing huge mother vessels. While Vizhinjam port is being built by the Adani group, the Colachel project is yet to take off. 

A senior official of Tamil Nadu government said “The government was looking into the matter. It would also ensure that the rights of the people were not affected in any way.”