Vizhinjam Port will attract investments over Rs 10,000 crores: Official

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 28 A top official of the upcoming Vizhinjam Port in Kerala on Thursday said that the port projects Phase II, III & IV by 2028 will attract investments worth Rs 10,000 crores.

Divya S Iyer, Managing Director, Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), said this while speaking at a discussion on “Economic Diversification through Port-Driven Industrial Clusters: The Vizhinjam Potential’ at the ongoing Huddle Global Fest 2024 organised by KSUM (Kerala Startup Mission) at Kovalam.

“Even after the delay caused by three natural disasters including the Okhi cyclone, the 2019 floods and the Covid pandemic, we have managed to keep up the momentum in the development of the port. With the completion of Phase II, III and IV, we can anchor five mother ships simultaneously which will make Vizhinjam the largest port in the country,” said Divya.

She added that the government is focused on the various development aspects of Vizhinjam including the development of road and rail connectivity.

Stressing on the strategic importance of Vizhinjam Port for the country, CEO of Adani Vizhinjam Port Pradeep Jayaraman said that Vizhinjam is rightly positioned for global market access.

“Vizhinjam is just 10 nautical miles away from the international sea route which makes it a critical seaport in South India. Since South India does not have ports that can handle large ships, Vizhinjam will solve this problem,” said Jayaraman.

He added that high-end pharma and food processing industries especially based on fisheries, beauty products industries, medical device industry, tourism etc can thrive with the completion of Vizhinjam Port.

“We can overcome the lack of warehouse facilities and land using technology, Vizhinjam is already the largest semi-automated port in the country,” he further pointed out.