Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 15 (ANI): The Adani Group’s Vizinjham port will reduce the logistics cost and time of Indian manufacturers, said Adani Ports and SEZ’s CEO Karan Adani.
“I think with this port we are able to reduce the transit time for our customers, that is the manufacturers of the country by almost 30 to 40 percent. And that itself is a big benefit that the Indian manufacturers will have and make them more competitive at the global scale and obviously with the reduction in the transit time, you will definitely see reduction in the logistics cost as well,” Karan Adani told ANI.
He expects a 4-5 per cent reduction in logistics cost through this port.
Adani Ports and SEZ on Friday announced the arrival of the first mother ship at its Vizhinjam port.
This milestone event marks India’s entry into the global transshipment and ushers in a new era in India’s maritime history, positioning Vizhinjam as a critical player in the international trade routes.
“Once we get the approval, environment clearance approval, we want to go ahead and complete the full phase phase two three and four — the balance 1.2 kilometers of berth length,” said Karan Adani.
“We’re very confident from a business perspective because of the kind of traction and kind of excitement we see from our customers. We are very confident that we will be able to fill up the whole capacity,” he added.
The port’s full master plan capacity would be 5 million TEUs.
Asked what were the challenges in developing the port, he said there will always be challenges in the greenfield site, but did not got into specifics of it.
“But I think we look forward to working with the communities nearby. We look forward to scaling the local youth so that we can employ them into this port, and into the operation,” he said.
“And it’s one of the most technologically advanced port, not just for India but whole of South Asia. We are very confident with the kind of talent which is available over here that we will work very closely and hopefully have 100 per cent local people running this whole port. That’s our aspiration. But as you know, challenges keep coming, but we look forward to working with the community to solve each one of them and have a holistic development, a sustainable and a holistic development of the port.”
So far, he said the Group has spent almost 65 crores in CSR.
Asked how was the support from the Kerala government, other political parties, and did it face any kind of problems related to the trade unions, he said, “I think if you ask me, this is one port, very unique port that we have experienced where we have got support from all political parties, whether it is BJP, Congress, or Left.”
“As you know, the port was given by Congress government, then development happening during the Left government. Your MP is from Congress, your MLA is from Congress.
So it is interesting to get support from all across the board. And I think all political parties are working towards the betterment of the state,” he further noted.
Today’s milestone event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, and the gathering was presided over by VN Vasavan, the Minister for Ports, Kerala. Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, was the chief guest.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that India had now entered the global map with this transshipment port.
“A monumental day for Kerala! We proudly celebrated the arrival of the mothership San Fernando at Vizhinjam International Seaport, making the dreams of millions of Keralites come true. With an investment of Rs 8,867 Cr and the creation of over 5,000 jobs, this project exemplifies the power of public-private partnership…This is an achievement and a testament to our collective vision and dedication. Here’s to a brighter, prosperous future for Kerala and our country!” the CM wrote on his X timeline.
This event also marks the debut of India’s first automated port with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities, capable of handling large ships, with its modern container handling equipment and world-class automation and IT systems.
San Fernando, the 300-meter-long container vessel operated by Maersk with a capacity of 8,000-9,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), will be availing the services at the port to offload about 2,000 containers and for 400 container movements within the vessel.
Currently, 25 per cent of India’s container traffic is transshipped en route to the destination. Until now, despite India’s rising trade with the world, the country did not have a dedicated transshipment port, resulting in three-fourths or 75 per cent of India’s transshipped cargo being handled by ports outside India.
Vizhinjam, will not only facilitate the movement of transshipment traffic into India but the strategically located port will also play a pivotal role in handling traffic along major routes connecting India, such as traffic between the US, Europe Africa, and the Indian subcontinent as well as US, Europe, Africa and the Far East, and thus playing a critical role in the international trade routes.
Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala is a critical economic infrastructure project promoted by the Government of Kerala in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. It is the largest private sector investment in Kerala. After winning the bid, Adani Ports and Logistics formed a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), to develop the project.
AVPPL entered into a concession agreement with the Department of Ports, Government of Kerala, on August 17, 2015, for the development and operation of Vizhinjam International Seaport. Overcoming multiple challenges, the port is now in the advanced stages of competition.
APSEZ has 15 ports–seven strategically located ports and terminals on the west coast (Mundra, Tuna, Dahej, and Hazira in Gujarat, Mormugao in Goa, Dighi in Maharashtra and Vizhinjam in Kerala) and 8 ports and terminals on the East coast of India (Haldia in West Bengal, Dhamra and Gopalpur in Odisha, Gangavaram and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Kattupalli and Ennore in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal in Puducherry, representing 27 per cent of the country’s total port volumes.
The company is also developing a transshipment port in Colombo, Sri Lanka, operates the Haifa Port in Israel and a container terminal in Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania. (ANI)
