Plans for having a shipyard in Thiruvananthapuram district, it appears, have not been abandoned completely. The integrated master plan for the Vizhinjam international container transshipment terminal (ICTT) released here on Thursday has left an option for establishing a shipyard at Vizhinjam should the container traffic at the proposed port fail to meet expectations.
‘’In the current master plan, a shipyard facility is not shown due to the lack of required waterfront area and backup land for proper establishment of the shipyard facility. However, (the) master plan provides a provision for such a facility if the container transshipment business is lower than forecasted. In that case, the proposed shipyard/ship repair facility can be planned in the area earmarked for Phase-3 container development, plus the additional area south of it,’’ says the master plan prepared by Aecom for state government company Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL).
Ports Minister K Babu handed over the master plan to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday.
In 2011, the Cochin Shipyard Ltd had submitted a report to the state government saying that Vizhinjam has the ‘potential’ for a shipyard. But it requires a minimum of 100 acres with 1.5 kilometres of waterfront area, which was considered impractical and the shipyard proposal was put on the back burner.
The proposed seaport, which is to be constructed in three phases, has been designed in such a manner that it will be able to accommodate the largest container vessels ever to sail the high seas. According to the master plan, the port will be able to berth vessels of 18,000 TEU capacity. Once the three phases are completed, the port will be able to handle 28.2 lakh TEUs of container traffic and 120 cruise vessels annually.
The master plan also accommodates a request by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard that their vessels be provided berthing space - 500 metres and 120 metres respectively - at the port. These facilities will be established in Phase I itself, according to the master plan.
Public hearing on June 29
The public hearing required for obtaining environmental clearance for the Vizhinjam project will begin on June 29, the government said on Thursday.
The opinions and suggestions raised at the hearing will be compiled and submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on July 29, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, receiving the Integrated Master Plan for the Vizhinjam ICTT project from Ports Minister K Babu on Thursday.
Vizhinjam will be transformed into the first port in India which can handle ships of 18,000 TEU capacity. The project would have materialised 25 years ago had it not been in Kerala, the Chief Minister said. The Vizhinjam project will be launched in 2014, the Ports Minister said on the occasion.
Salient Points
* Total quay length (three phases) - 2,000 metres.
* Breakwater - 4,100 metres.
* Cruise terminal - 500 metres.
* Coast Guard wharf - 120 metres.
* Navy wharf - 500 metres.