THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : In a significant development, the Vizhinjam International Seaport received customs clearance to operate as an international seaport. The clearance under Section 7A of the Customs Act allows the unloading of imported goods and loading of export goods. A gazette notification for the same has been issued. Now clearances under Sections 6 and 45 in addition to the Port Code are pending. With the customs nod under Section 7A, Vizhinjam will have major chances to become an international transshipment hub, said Ports Minister V N Vasavan.
The customs issued its nod to Vizhinjam Port after it completed the requirements set by the Union Customs Ministry. The 12 criteria set by the customs include necessary office requirements, buildings, a computer network and server room facility, among others. The Vizhinjam port was able to meet the guidelines within the prescribed time frame, said the minister.
He said work for other clearances too has been completed. The port has already received clearance from the Union Shipping Ministry to operate as a transshipment terminal. With this, goods coming from small ports across the country can be transshipped to mother ships from here, to be sent to other ports across the globe. Similarly, goods coming from different parts of the world can be transshipped to regional ports from Vizhinjam.