History scripted as mothership lands at Adani Group's Vizhinjam port

The mothership is around 300 metres long and 48 meters wide and carries around 2,000 containers

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Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram, India’s inaugural transshipment hub and deepwater container terminal, made history on Thursday by commencing operations and receiving its first mothership as part of a trial run.

The port, slated for full commissioning by September this year, coinciding with the festival season of Onam, welcomed the vessel MV San Fernando.

A transshipment port acts as a transit hub where cargo from large motherships is transferred to smaller vessels bound for final destinations.

Mother vessels or motherships manage large container fleets between major ports over longer distances, boasting a capacity of 10,000-15,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU).

Thousands gathered to witness the event, waving national flags as MV San Fernando, chartered by Maersk, received a water salute from tugboats upon arrival at the outer anchorage of the port at 7 am. By 9.30 am, the vessel was berthed, marking the initiation of operations at the transshipment hub.

“We are commencing operations on a trial basis to ensure flawless execution. This is India’s first transshipment hub and deepwater container terminal. The first phase of the project is nearing completion with all infrastructure aspects finalised,” said Divya S Iyer, managing director of the port, to Business Standard.

The mothership, measuring 300 metres in length and 48 metres in width, carries roughly 2,000 containers.

“This is India’s first semi-automated container port. We plan to test vessel tracking, management systems, and crane controls under various scenarios over the next one and a half to two months, aiming for full commissioning by September,” Iyer added.

“This will bring a lot of lost revenue back to the country. The location is very strategic. We are expecting a lot of enthusiasm from international companies,” she added.

Phase-I of the project cost is estimated at Rs 7,525 crore, with Adani Group investing Rs 4,500 crore. Phases-II and -III have earmarked Rs 9,500 crore for expansion.

“Even when we brought in the cranes here, we got a goods and services tax of Rs 50-60 crore. In Phase-I itself, we have 800 metres and will be able to dock two motherships, if required. Phase-III, scheduled for completion by 2028, will add a 2-kilometre berth and two multipurpose berths,” Iyer said.

In Phase-I, Vizhinjam port will handle up to 1 million TEU, with subsequent phases targeting an additional 6.2 million TEU. A key advantage of the port is its proximity, just 11 nautical miles from international shipping channels, which handle nearly 30 per cent of global freight movement.

“We currently boast a draft of around 18 metres, which is better than any other port in India,” Iyer noted.

Currently, 75 per cent of India’s transshipped cargo relies on ports like Colombo, Singapore, Salalah (Oman), Jebel Ali (Dubai), Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia), and Klang (Malaysia), a trend expected to shift with the establishment of this transshipment hub in India.