'San Fernando', a stone's throw away from Vizhinjam; New era of shipping in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-stalled dream is finally turning into a reality. The long wait of three decades will end when 'mother ship' San Fernando with 2000 containers gets anchored on the Vizhinjam coast.

Vizhinjam is becoming an international gateway for sea freight. After MESK, which operates cargo services in more than 110 countries, the mothership of the world's largest shipping company, MSC, is also set to arrive in Vizhinjam.

San Fernando vessel that reached the outer sea by Wednesday night will move towards the port by four nautical miles by Thursday at 6 am. Around 7:30 am, pilot Tushar Kanitkar will board the tugboat 'Ocean Prestige' and take control of the vessel from Russian Captain Vladimir Bondarenko.

Pilot Tushar and co-pilot Captain CB George will berth the ship at 9 am. Mooring will be done to connect the ship to the berth with a heavy rope. The mother ship will be moored within 300m of the centre of the 800m berth in the harbour.

Then 1500 containers will be unloaded using automated cranes. The navigation centre of the port will function with the software developed by IIT Madras. All systems will be verified before the first phase is commissioned. Ministers V N Vasavan and Saji Cherian will attend the historic event.

A total of 1500 policemen will be deployed under the leadership of Commissioner G. Sparjan Kumar. Under the leadership of Coastal Police AIG Poonguzhali, 64 policemen will patrol the sea in 12 boats. Fishing boats are restricted. Adani ports' 150 security personnel and eight rapid action force personnel will be there for security.