THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vizhinjam International Seaport handled three times more cargo than the original estimates since commercial operations began six months ago.
As per the port authorities, the port received 150 ships, including five of the world’s largest container vessels, and managed a total of 3 lakh TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of cargo. When operations began in July, the port had planned to handle 1 lakh TEUs.MSC vessels have been the primary drivers behind this growth, and the trend is expected to continue. The number of MSC ship calls saw a steady rise from weeks 35 to 52, with 35 calls per month between October and December.
In January, the figure surged to 100 calls, and it is anticipated it would reach 60 per month, meaning two MSC ships will call on the port each day. There are already 17 vessels scheduled to dock in the next seven days. Pranav Choudhary, CEO of Adani Ports SEZ, which operates Vizhinjam seaport, previously noted that the number of ships calling at the port was expected to hit 250 soon.
The seaport is on track to becoming a key hub linking Asia and Europe, especially with MSC’s announcement that it will make Vizhinjam a regular stop by the end of February. Sources indicate that the first MSC ship under the Jade service, the MSC Mia, a 400-m-long vessel with a capacity of 22,000 TEUs, is expected to arrive by March 1.
The port will also welcome ships from Africa in March.