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    Vizhinjam Port offers blue ocean blueprint for Tamil Nadu’s growth

    After investing Rs 8,500 crore, the Adani Group will infuse an additional Rs 10,000 crore from Sept

    Vizhinjam Port offers blue ocean blueprint for Tamil Nadu’s growth
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    Vizhinjam International Seaport

    THIRUVANTHAPURAM: It is located near the southern tip of neighbouring Kerala, but the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Seaport is promising a telling economic impact for several industries in Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore, Tirupur, and other regions.

    The transshipment facility has already been receiving enquiries from textile, industrial goods, seafood, food products, and perishable goods firms, and is likely to be more attractive when the 1.2-km stretch to the National Highway 66 is completed, making transportation more efficient.

    “These exporters, who don’t have any direct connection to Europe, have to send their containers to Chennai, from where they go to Cuttack or maybe to Colombo,” said a spokesperson, pointing to the additional costs involved in the process. By sending their consignments to Europe through Vizhinjam port would cut the travel time from 40-odd days to 25 days, which could work up to a saving of an estimated $200–300 per container.

    By the time it completed one-year of trial operations on July 11, during which it saw the entry of more than 380 vessels, including mother ships like MSC Irina, the world’s largest container vessel that has capacity of 24,346 (twenty-foot equivalent units) TEUs.

    Little wonder, then, that the Adani Group is upbeat on transitioning into an export import facility (40 per cent of the volume) in three to five years, rather than being a transshipment port.

    In the first phase, it is expected to handle up to 1.5 million TEUs annually, rising to 4.5 million TEUs after subsequent expansions, beginning September this year, when additional investments of Rs 10,000 crore would be made.

    Thanks to its proximity (within 150–200 km range), exporters from southern districts like Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari, Virudhunagar, and Madurai could benefit by re-routing exports through Vizhinjam. Sectors like wind energy (Tirunelveli), textiles (Virudhunagar), and agro-based industries (Madurai, Theni) can use it for quicker export access to global markets.

    Being closest to international shipping routes when compared to other ports in India, Vizhinjam offers faster turnaround and sailing times compared to Chennai or Thoothukudi ports. This would help exporters and importers in Tamil Nadu save time and logistics costs, especially for time-sensitive cargo like perishables or electronics, the company said.

    There are potential growth avenues off the water, too. For instance, Tamil Nadu can develop dry ports, container freight stations, and logistics parks in districts like Tirunelveli or Madurai to link with Vizhinjam. Also, improved rail and road connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Vizhinjam (such as the NH66 expansion) could accelerate development of the stretch as a logistics corridor.

    The supply chain infrastructure can also generate jobs in ancillary sectors like warehousing, transport, and services in the border districts of the State, the company claimed.

    (The journalist was in Thiruvanthapuram at the company’s invitation)

    Hemamalini Venkatraman
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