Vizhinjam Port of Adani Group will run India's 1st transshipments

Adani Group's Vizhinjam Port in Kerala has received approval from the shipping ministry to operate as India's first transshipment port. This will be India's first full-fledged deepwater transshipment port. 

About Transshipment ports

Transshipment ports are transit hubs where cargo from one ship is transferred to another on the way to its final destination. 

World’s biggest Transshipment ports are Singapore, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Busan and Hong Kong.

Importance of Adani's Vizhinjam port

Strategic location: The new strategically located port in India will attract large container and cargo vessels, boosting traffic and helping to modernize infrastructure. 

Part of Maritime India Vision 2030: This development is part of the government's Maritime India Vision 2030, which aims to make India a top destination for manufacturing. Lower shipping costs and increased capacity will benefit domestic manufacturers.

Handling  Megamax containerships: The port will be one of the world's largest, with the ability to handle Megamax containerships and provide large-scale automation for quick vessel turnaround.

Attracting largest container ships: The port is expected to attract the world's largest container ships, which have avoided India until now because its harbors were not deep enough to handle such vessels. 

Biggest share in international market: The ₹20,000 crore investment in the port will allow India to grab a bigger share of the international maritime trade currently dominated by China. 

Need of Transshipment ports

• The Reserve Bank of India has reported that poor shipping connectivity has hindered India's integration into the global value chain. 
• In 2020, India's container traffic was only 17 million TEUs compared to China's 245 million TEUs. Currently, 75% of India's transshipped cargo is handled at ports outside the country, with more than half of it handled at Colombo port. 
• Adani Ports & SEZs CEO Karan Adani plans for the port to divert transshipment traffic from neighboring ports such as Colombo, Salalah, and Singapore, which currently handle more than 85% of India's transshipped cargo.
• India aims to become a crucial part of global value and supply chains, which cannot be achieved without a robust port infrastructure. Vizhinjam, India's first deep-water port capable of accommodating larger vessels, is a sign of India's ambition to manufacture for the world. 
• India is planning more transshipment hubs, including another international transshipment port project at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, which has received expressions of interest from 11 players. 

The project focuses on three key drivers to make it a leading container transshipment port: 

• its strategic location in terms of proximity to the international shipping trade route (40 nautical miles), 
• availability of natural water depth of over 20m, and 
• carrying capacity of transshipment cargo from all the ports in the proximity, including Indian ports.