(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Thiruvananthapuram: The first ship from China Zhen Hua 15 has docked at Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited today (Oct 14). The Minister for ports Sarbananda Sonowal and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcomed the first ship.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, Public Education labor Department V Sivankutty, Revenue Department Minister and Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited Board of Directors Member K Rajan, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan, Shashi Tharoor MP, M Vincent MLA, Mayor Arya Rajendran, Chief Secretary Dr. .V Venu, KS Srinivas, Principal Secretary, Ports Department, Karan Adani, Chairman, Adani Vizhinjam Port Limited, Rajesh Jha, CEO, Adani Vizhinjam Port Company were also present for this occassion. Other ministers of the state, people's representatives and dignitaries was also concerned.
The port, which is being built at a projected cost of Rs 7,700 crore, is expected to be commissioned by May next year.
The first ship bound for Vizhinjam International Port reached the outer coast of Kerala on Wednesday (Oct. 11). The ship arrived earlier than expected. A welcome ceremony has been organised for the ship at Vizhinjam port by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on October 15.
The Chinese ship Shen Hua-15 started its journey from Mundra port in Gujarat to the Kerala coast on October 6. The ship started its journey from Shanghai port on August 31 and reached Mundra port in Gujarat on August 29.
The Vizhinjam International Port, which is Kerala's dream project, is ready after eight years of construction. The construction of the embankment was completed after crossing difficult obstacles. The construction started in 2015. After 8 years, the port has 274 m of container berths. A container yard with a capacity of 37,080 containers is also set up at Vizhinjam. The construction of 2,250 metres of the required 2,960 metres of embankment in the first phase has been completed.
The embankment needed for Vizhinjam port has been constructed using acropods weighing 10 to 12 tons. Around 3960 metres of embankment and 800 metres of berth will be required for the completion of the third phase in 2027.
The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by the Government of Kerala. It is designed primarily to cater to container transshipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo.
The port's intended breadth is 150 metres. Reclamation of the sea would make available roughly 2.5 to 2.75 km2 (600 to 700 acres). The port would include two 1.5 km and 6 km breakwaters, as well as a harbour basin and wharves. There would be around 30 berths, the majority of which could accommodate mother ships.
MENAFN15102023007385015968ID1107242926
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.