Vizhinjam port receives commercial commissioning certificate after succesful trial run

Thiruvananthapuram: The Vizhinjam International Port received its commercial commission certificate on Wednesday after successfully completing a trial run. An engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, presented the certificate to Kerala's Minister for Ports, Devaswom, and Cooperatives, V N Vasavan. It was issued a day after the minister announced the official completion of the first phase of operations. 

A grand inauguration will be held later after securing a date from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vasavan said. "We have completed the trial run as scheduled, and during the trial run period, more than 70 ships, including some of the largest cargo ships in the world, docked at Vizhinjam Port. Also, we successfully handled 1.47 lakh TEUs," he added.

The minister explained that, as per the technical requirements, the eight-metre berth length has been completed, and the construction of the 3,000 metre breakwater has also been finished. All the cranes needed for commercial operations have been installed at the port for the first phase.

He added that the Konkan Railway Corporation has already submitted a detailed project report for the 10.2 kilometre railway project from Balaramapuram to Vizhinjam, of which 9.2 kilometres will be an underground tunnel. The environmental and social impact assessment of the project has been completed, and land acquisition will commence soon, reported PTI.

 "As for the ring road connectivity, we held a meeting with the stakeholders today, and we will conduct one more meeting to decide on further details. The services of the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) and the Road Safety Authority have also been sought for technical assistance," Vasavan said. 

"We will hold a meeting with the people, and the prices of land for acquisition will be negotiated," the minister said. Regarding the delay in receiving the grant from the central government, Vasavan said that it is the right of the state government to receive Viability Gap Funding from the Centre and that it should not be considered charity. 

"The Chief Minister has written a letter to the Central Finance Ministry. In the letter, we mentioned that the empowered committee of the Finance Ministry had recommended this grant. We also pointed out that when the Centre provided Rs 1,114 crore to Tuticorin Port, no conditions were imposed, nor was it a loan. However, in our case, it comes with conditions and is converted into a loan," Vasavan said. 

He added that the state government would have to repay Rs 12,000 crore for the Rs 817.80 crore loan proposed by the central government. The Centre maintains that the amount can only be provided as a loan. "We view this as discrimination and are expressing our protest. However, this does not mean we are adopting a non-cooperation policy with the central government. We are continuing to exert pressure for the grant," Vasavan said. 

Developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India's largest port developer and part of the Adani Group, the port was constructed under a public-private partnership model at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore.