Port Minister Ahammad Devarkovil said on Thursday that the entire crew of the Chinese ship Zhen Hua 15 has been given consent to debark thus ending the uncertainty over the unloading of cranes at the Vizhinjam International Seaport.
Devarkovil said the permit for the workers was delayed due to technical reasons; initially, permission to debark was only granted to two people. The minister added that the cranes will be berthed at the port if the weather is favourable. Currently, the Vizhijnam Sea is rough.
Both the Kerala government and the Adani Group had pushed for faster immigration clearance for the workers on the Chinese ship. The inaugural function by the state government had caused an initial delay of four days but the further delay of three days was due to the opposition from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
The Chinese crew must debark since the expertise required to position the ship while berthing the cranes at the port is their forte. The same team lowered two cranes at the Mundra Port in Gujarat.
FRRO declined the entry of foreigners through Vizhinjam Port as it is still in the construction phase and does not have a port status yet.
The Vizhinjam Port is constructed under a public-private partnership model. Adani Group is the private partner in the development of Vizhinjam Port, which is going to be one of the largest in the world once commissioned.
