Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will take a major step towards strengthening its maritime ambitions on Friday with the launch of Phase 2 construction of the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Deepwater Seaport, aimed at positioning it as India’s largest transshipment hub.

The ₹9,700 crore development programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal will attend the event as chief guest,.

State Ports Minister VN Vasavan said the second phase marks a critical scale-up in capacity, infrastructure and global competitiveness for Vizhinjam, which began commercial operations less than a year ago.

As part of Phase 2, the port’s container handling capacity will rise five-fold, from one million TEUs to five million TEUs annually. Berth length will be expanded from 800 metres to 2,000 metres, while the breakwater will be extended to four kilometres, allowing the port to handle multiple ultra-large container vessels simultaneously.

Once completed, Vizhinjam will emerge as India’s largest straight-berth port, capable of accommodating four mother ships at a time. The expansion will also include new infrastructure such as a railway yard, a multi-purpose berth, a liquid terminal and a tank farm. The liquid terminal is expected to give Vizhinjam a competitive advantage by enabling large vessels to refuel during long international voyages, a facility currently available only at a few global ports. Given its proximity to major East–West shipping lanes, the port is expected to attract additional traffic and generate significant tax revenues for Kerala.

Vasavan said the Phase 2 expansion will not require additional land acquisition. About 55 hectares will be created through sea reclamation, while container yard capacity will increase from 35,000 units to 1,00,000 units. The total number of cranes will go up to 100, including 30 ship-to-shore cranes.

Highlighting early operational gains, the minister said Vizhinjam has already handled over 15 lakh TEUs from 710 vessels and established direct services to ports in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. While the port’s full development was initially planned for completion by 2045, it is now targeted for 2028 following a supplementary concessionaire agreement signed in 2023.