Don't underestimate Vizhinjam's potential

The development potential of Vizhinjam Port has moved beyond the expectations of the authorities. Reports that around 100 ships are waiting to unload cargo at Vizhinjam due to the war crisis in the Middle East raise high hopes for Vizhinjam's revenue potential. Eight shipping companies about to sail to all corners of the world are currently choosing Vizhinjam as the best port to dock. The Middle East crisis is showing no signs of ending anytime soon, and if the situation continues, the number of ships waiting for permission to dock at Vizhinjam Port will increase further. The fact that Vizhinjam Port is much closer to the shipping channel than other ports encourages companies to favour Vizhinjam more.

Vizhinjam port is just 10 nautical miles from the international shipping lane. Mumbai port is 700 nautical miles away from the shipping lane, and Mundra port in Gujarat is 1150 nautical miles away. It takes more than 50 hours of extra travel to reach these places instead of Vizhinjam. Although not fully equipped, Vizhinjam has already earned fame for being the port that operates 24 hours a day. When the discussions on the Vizhinjam project began, many ‘experts' splashed ink writing op-eds on major news dailies, campaigning that not many ships would choose to dock at the port and hence it would result in huge losses. This was later found to be the handiwork of some foreign port lobbies who were envious of the potential of Vizhinjam.

Kerala Kaumudi had, back then, exposed those cabals working to hinder Vizhinjam’s progress, thus making people recognise the sinister game at play. We believe that Vizhinjam would not just overhaul the district but the state itself with its untapped potential. If the construction process of the berths had not been disrupted due to the COVID-19 crisis, Vizhinjam's income would have been many times more than today. Now, the existing ones are not enough, and temporary berths are also being prepared to store the containers.

As soon as all the phases of Vizhinjam are completed, big companies and entrepreneurs from different parts of the world will come with big projects, and the government should now give top priority to acquiring land to set up the necessary industrial parks and other facilities. The Tamil Nadu government has already acquired more than 2,000 acres of land in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts to exploit the benefits of Vizhinjam. Kerala is still slow in this regard. The government should urgently focus on developing the infrastructure needed to benefit Kerala from the port and create thousands of job opportunities.