Thiruvananthapuram: In a historic moment for Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned  Vizhinjam International Seaport, which was completed at an estimated cost of ₹8,867 crore on Friday. 

The PM arrived at the port area by helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram city at 10.15 am and walked around the transshipment hub wearing a hard hat, taking stock of the facilities.

Subsequently, at 11.33 am, he formally commissioned the first phase of the facility in the presence of Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

The Prime Minister said that the Vizhinjam port will bring economic stability to Kerala and the nation. "75% of transshipment occurred outside India. Now, the funds used for this will stay in India," he stated.

"Gujarat may get upset if they knew Adani built a bigger port at Vizhinjam," PM Modi said with a smile.

The PM began his address in Malayalam: "Extremely happy to be in the land of Sree Ananthapadmanabhan once again."

Satheesan shares OC's post
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, whose absence was notable at the event, shared a video of late Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s 2015 Assembly speech on the Vizhinjam port, via Facebook.

“Oommen Chandy is absent today. But he lives on in people's hearts as a part of history that will never fade, even if erased. Those who deliberately forget and try to rewrite history are afraid even of Oommen Chandy’s memory. Wishing all the best to the Vizhinjam port,” the post read.

Police have thrown a security blanket across the state capital ahead of the port inauguration. Traffic curbs are also imposed in the city from Thursday. 

The port in the capital of Kerala is expected to place Kerala on the global maritime map and transform India’s role in international trade and shipping. 

MSC Celestino Maresca, one of the world’s largest and most sustainable vessels will be berthed at the port today during the commissioning. The ultra-large container vessel (ULCV) has a length of 400 meters, a beam of 61.5 meters, and a draft of 17 meters.

The public who reach the port before 8 am are allowed to witness the historic moment.

In a post on 'X', Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said, "Tomorrow marks a historic moment as Shri Narendra Modi ji, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, dedicates the Vizhinjam International Seaport to the nation."

"This landmark project—the largest-ever state investment in any port in the country, with two-thirds of the cost borne by the Government of Kerala—reflects the state's strong commitment to development.

"The commissioning of Vizhinjam port marks the beginning of a new chapter in India’s maritime journey, placing the nation firmly on the global map," Vijayan said.

Earlier, he said this is not just the opening of a new port, but the beginning of a new era that will give Indian trade and logistics a stronger global presence.

India's first dedicated transshipment port
Vizhinjam is India's first dedicated transshipment port and also the country's first semi-automated port. 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.

The port sits just 10 nautical miles from a key international shipping route and has naturally deep waters, making it ideal for large cargo ships. Until now, about 75 per cent of India's transshipment containers were handled by Colombo Port in Sri Lanka, leading to significant losses in foreign exchange and revenue. Vizhinjam is expected to bring much of that traffic back to India.

The port has received the highest ever investment from a state government in India. The Kerala government is funding two-thirds of the project's total cost, including the full cost of building the breakwater—a key part of the infrastructure that ensures the port operates smoothly in all weather.

The breakwater at Vizhinjam is the deepest in India and stretches nearly three kilometres. At 28 metres tall—the height of a nine-storey building—it is a major engineering achievement.

Trial operations began on July 13, 2024, and full commercial operations started on December 3, 2024. During the three-month trial phase, over 272 large vessels docked at the port, and more than 550,000 containers were handled.

Vizhinjam is equipped with fully automated yard cranes and remotely operated ship-to-shore cranes for faster and safer operations. It also features India's first home-built, AI-powered Vessel Traffic Management System, developed with IIT Madras.

By 2028, the next phase of construction is expected to be complete, giving the port an annual capacity of at least 3 million TEUs. This phase, which will cost Rs 10,000 crore, will be fully funded by Adani Ports.

Vizhinjam is also being developed as a multi-modal hub, with direct road access to National Highway 66 and Kerala's first cloverleaf interchange to handle future cargo growth. A railway link connecting the port to the national network will begin construction soon.