Vizhinjam Port Begins Direct Imports With First Container from China
Vizhinjam International Seaport, India’s deep-water transhipment port near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, has started direct import operations. Its first import container arrived on 31 October on board the container ship MSC Sabrina III from Ningbo, China. Vizhinjam lies on India’s south-west coast, close to the main east-west shipping route between Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
The container held engineered building boards. It was booked by Thiruvananthapuram-based BSG Logistics and Ship Chandlers for the Altair Group. Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd Managing Director Jeromic George flagged off the truck that carried the box out of the port.
Until now, Vizhinjam has mainly handled transhipment, where containers move from one ship to another. Export-import (EXIM) operations started on 18 August, when the first eight export containers left for Valencia, Spain, on MSC Beryl. With imports now flowing too, the port says it is “establishing Kerala’s direct gateway for international trade.”
Kerala businesses have long depended on Kochi or Tuticorin, or on transhipment through Colombo and other foreign hubs. Direct calls at Vizhinjam can reduce transit times and road travel. In September, the Kerala government also started work on a dedicated container freight station (CFS) near the port under its 100-day action plan.
The new trade link is a positive step for India’s aim to build its own transhipment hubs. For seafarers, more regular calls at Vizhinjam add to its growing role as a crew-change port on the Indian coast, close to major sea lanes.
