Today is a historic day for all of us at @Adaniports. A dream has finally come true for Vizhinjam, for Kerala and for India!

Today is a historic day!

Today is the day that marks the end of a very long wait.

Today is the day when a 33-year-old dream has finally come true for Vizhinjam, for Kerala and for India.

12 July 2024, Vizhinjam, Kerala : The mother ship – the San Fernando – now lying in our harbour is a symbol of a new, glorious achievement in Indian maritime history. It is a messenger that will tell the world that India’s first automated container transshipment port and largest deepwater port has begun commercial operations.

In 1991, when this port project was first announced, Vizhinjam was just another village with ordinary prospects. At that time, no one could have imagined that it would become a world-class port – and, let me tell you in all humility, this port is going to be one of the world’s top destinations for global container shipping.

The 300-metre-long San Fernando, operated by Maersk, one of the world’s leaders in shipping and logistics, is the first commercial container cargo vessel to call at this port – and we can all be confident that this ship is just the first of many thousands of very large container ships that will berth in this port in the years ahead. Since October 2023, when we gathered here to welcome the first project ship to Vizhinjam, seven such cargo ships have called at this port – and each one of them was a test of our capabilities. They were the ships that brought in the heavy machinery that you now see installed in the port.

These are not ordinary machines – they represent the world’s most advanced port systems and technologies. We have installed 8 ship-to-shore cranes (or STS cranes) and 23 cantilevered rail-mounted gantry cranes (or CRMG cranes). The CRMG cranes are fully automated – and the STS cranes are semi-automated and remote- operated.

No other port in India – including our own highly advanced Mundra Port – has these cranes or these technologies. In fact, what we have already installed here is South Asia’s most advanced container handling technology. And once we complete the automation and the Vessel Traffic Management System, Vizhinjam will be in a class of its own as one of the most technologically sophisticated transshipment ports in the world.

I am delighted that every aspect that we had planned for is coming together – and we are privileged to have been given this opportunity to use our expertise to transform this part of India, in line with Maritime Amrit Kaal 2047, our Honourable Prime Minister’s vision for the maritime sector. Speaking at the Global Maritime India Summit 2023, Prime Minister Modi-ji had highlighted India’s plans to make the Blue Economy a key medium for creating a Green Planet. He underscored the government’s drive to develop next-generation mega ports – and Vizhinjam is a perfect example of his triple focus – Ports for Prosperity, Ports for Progress and  Ports for Productivity. What we have managed to achieve so far would not have been possible without the incredible all-round support we have received. I extend my deep gratitude, on behalf of the Adani Group and on my own behalf, to you, Honourable Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan-ji, for guiding us through the most difficult part of this project — its execution on the ground – and to you, Honourable Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Ji, for providing generous, continuous support.

We are also immensely thankful to the state and central governments – to the warm and welcoming people of Vizhinjam and Thiruvananthapuram – to Shri Shashi Tharoor ji, Honourable Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram – to the late Shri Oommen Chandy-ji – to my Adani colleagues who put their heart and soul into this project – and also to the many leaders present here who put aside all their political differences to see Kerala’s dream come true.

We are proud to be in Kerala. After all, it is ‘God’s Own Country’. The people of Kerala are known for their resilience, intellect and progressive outlook. To the world, Keralites or Malayalis represent educated human capital. That gives us the confidence that the people of Kerala want this port to be a global leader – a port that will become a beacon of progress and prosperity for Kerala and beyond. Although we are expected to complete Phase 1 in December this year, I am delighted to announce that we will complete the first phase much before that. We already have 600 meters of operational quay length – and we are preparing 7,500 container yard slots to accept cargo. While we are expected to handle 1 million TEUs per annum in Phase 1, we are confident that we will handle 1.5 million TEUs – 50 percent more! By 2028-29, when all four phases of this project are completed, the Kerala Government and Adani Vizhinjam Port will have invested a total of Rs 20,000 crore in this outstanding example of a large-scale PPP project. The public hearing for the port’s masterplan has just been successfully completed – and I am humbled by the overwhelming support from the people of Vizhinjam. I am delighted to announce that, as soon as we receive the environmental clearance and other regulatory approvals, the Adani Group will begin work immediately on the port’s remaining phases – and this could begin as early as October this year.

In addition to the direct port infrastructure that we are building, we are also focusing on ancillary developments in the immediate neighbourhood – including a modern fishing harbour, bunkering facilities, an outer ring road to serve the area, a seafood park, cruise tourism facilities and an industrial corridor. We have already created over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs in construction, operations and other segments – and, now, with these wide-ranging developments, we will create more than 5,500 additional direct and indirect employment opportunities right here in Vizhinjam.

There is more. Through the Adani Skill Development Centre, we will equip thousands of young women and men with advanced specialised skills relevant to the maritime sector – and these high-level vocational skills will make them highly-sought after both in India and abroad.

I thank each and every one of you who have worked extremely hard to make this international dream come true, here in Vizhinjam. When we took on this project, our Chairman Shri Gautam Adani promised to make Vizhinjam, India’s Port of the Future’.

Address by : Mr Karan Adani

That is what it has become.