The story of Vizhinjam is not just about a port; it is about India arriving confidently on the shores of 21st-century global trade. It is about Kerala imagining a future not merely as a consumer state but as a producer and facilitator of commerce.
Published May 13, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 13, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Vizhinjam International Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram.
Synopsis: The Vizhinjam port, unlike other Indian ports that depend on feeder vessels and suffer from draught limitations, holds the potential to be a game-changer as it boasts a natural depth of 20 meters, making it the first Indian port capable of accommodating motherships that currently bypass the subcontinent for ports like Colombo, Singapore, and Dubai.
On 2 May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally dedicated the Vizhinjam International Seaport to the nation. The moment marked not just the inauguration of a port but the launch of a transformative chapter in India’s maritime and economic history.
Nestled in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram coast, Vizhinjam is now poised to become one of the most strategically
vital transhipment hubs in the world. Its journey, however, has been as complex and contested as the tides it will soon navigate.
Vizhinjam’s success is not merely infrastructural. It is political, economic, environmental, and social, emerging through a crucible of public protests, environmental concerns, political contestations, and cooperative federalism.
It’s a story of persistence and policy convergence that must be told fully, including the roles played by former chief minister late Oommen Chandy and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, both of whom fought hard to bring this vision to life, even when it seemed like a pipe dream for many years.
The Vizhinjam port, unlike other Indian ports that depend on feeder vessels and suffer from draught limitations, holds the potential to be a game-changer as it boasts a natural depth of 20 meters, making it the first Indian port capable of accommodating ultra-large container vessels—or “motherships”—that currently bypass the subcontinent for ports like Colombo, Singapore, and Dubai.
Located just 10 nautical miles from the busy east-west shipping axis, Vizhinjam’s proximity to this international sea lane will greatly cut turnaround time and costs.
India has long relied on foreign ports for transhipment, losing both time and foreign exchange in the process. With Vizhinjam operational, the country can reclaim a significant share of this traffic.
Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, speaking at the inauguration, estimated the port will contribute nearly $220 million annually to the national economy. For Kerala, which lacks the industrial corridors of states like Gujarat or Maharashtra, this investment signals a new industrial awakening.
It is among the most ambitious infrastructure projects executed through a public-private-partnership (PPP) in India. The total cost of the project in its current phase is around ₹8,686 crore. Of this, the Kerala government contributed more than ₹5,370 crore, over 60% of the total outlay, while the Adani Group, selected through a competitive bid during Oommen Chandy’s tenure, invested ₹2,497 crore.
The Union government, recognising the project’s national significance, added ₹818 crore as viability gap funding.
The long gestation period of Vizhinjam has often been a political football. Yet, the seamless continuation of the project across successive state governments, Congress-led UDF and CPI(M)-led LDF alike, is a welcome reminder of what Indian federalism can achieve when partisan divides give way to developmental vision.
Shashi Tharoor, who has been a constant advocate of the port since his election to Parliament in 2009, rightly called out the erasure of Oommen Chandy’s contributions during the inauguration event.
“Shame that none of the official speakers…mentioned Oommen Chandy’s name,” Tharoor remarked, referring to the former chief minister under whose leadership the deal with Adani Ports was signed. His words struck a chord not just politically but morally, raising questions about the kind of political culture we are encouraging, one that refuses to
acknowledge continuity in governance.
The Vizhinjam project was conceptualised as far back as the 1990s, but it was under Chandy’s government in 2015 that the actual construction deal was signed. Overcoming legal hurdles, environmental clearances, and fierce protests from coastal communities required not just administrative grit but political courage, qualities Chandy displayed until his final days. A just historical record must honour these efforts even in the age of hyper-centralised celebrations.
The project has not been without controversy. Protests by the fishing community, many of whom feared the port’s breakwater construction would erode coastlines and destroy their livelihoods, shook the state in 2022 and 2023. The state government, to its credit, initiated a scientific inquiry and environmental assessments to address these concerns.
Compensation packages, resettlement policies, and coastal protection schemes were discussed and partly implemented,
but the sense of alienation in some communities still lingers.
Going forward, Kerala must ensure that development doesn’t deepen inequalities. Any largescale infrastructural project must internalise the environmental and social cost, not just as afterthoughts but as guiding principles. The promise of economic upliftment must extend to those whose everyday lives are most directly impacted.
While the port is a marvel of marine engineering, its utility depends on robust hinterland connectivity. In its current form, Vizhinjam’s potential is limited by poor road and rail infrastructure. The Kerala government has approved a ₹1,482 crore underground railway line connecting Vizhinjam with Balaramapuram.
Road expansions, logistics corridors, and cold-chain facilities are also on the anvil. Yet, these must be fast-tracked with the same urgency and inter-governmental cooperation that built the port itself.
What Vizhinjam now needs is an ecosystem including dry ports, warehousing hubs, special economic zones (SEZs), and multimodal freight corridors to complete the value chain. The central government should consider extending infrastructure status and tax incentives to attract global shipping alliances and logistics firms.
By the time all phases of the port are completed in 2028, Vizhinjam is projected to attract a total capital investment of nearly ₹18,000 crore. The job creation potential, both direct and indirect, is immense. Ancillary services such as logistics, marine engineering, warehousing, customs clearance, and even hospitality stand to gain.
The port can also reposition Kerala on the national industrial map. A state long known for human development indicators but poor on industrial metrics can now dream of a more diversified economic portfolio. With focused policy, Kerala can emulate the likes of Rotterdam and Busan, cities whose maritime infrastructure laid the foundation for sustained economic growth.
Another commendable feature of Vizhinjam is its vision of sustainability. The port aims to become India’s first automated, fully green transhipment port. With largescale electrification, rainwater harvesting, and low-emission infrastructure, the project aligns with India’s broader climate commitments.
That said, continuous monitoring and course correction are essential. Kerala’s fragile coastline, already battling climate change-induced sea rise and extreme weather, cannot afford to treat ecology as expendable. The future of Vizhinjam must lie in balancing commerce with conservation.
India’s port development has often been skewed towards the western coastline: Gujarat and Maharashtra, in particular. Vizhinjam signals a strategic shift. By developing a world-class port on the southern tip of the eastern corridor, India strengthens its maritime claims in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
In the context of China’s growing presence in nearby Hambantota, and with rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, Vizhinjam adds both economic muscle and strategic depth.
Moreover, as global shipping becomes increasingly regionalised in the post-pandemic world, India has an opportunity to anchor the supply chains of the future. Vizhinjam, by location and capability, is our best bet.
The story of Vizhinjam is not just about a port; it is about India arriving confidently on the shores of 21st-century global trade. It is about Kerala imagining a future not merely as a consumer state but as a producer and facilitator of commerce.
It is also about partnerships, between governments and private firms, between coastal communities and planners, between environmental caution and economic ambition.
For too long, India has dreamt of becoming a logistics superpower. That dream now has an anchorage. Vizhinjam is not the final destination, but it is surely a proud and promising beginning.
(Amal Chandra is an author, policy analyst, and columnist. Follow him on ‘X’ @ens_socialis. Views are personal. Edited by Majnu Babu).
