The entry of the first ship at the international port of Vizhinjam can be considered as a major turning point in the development progress of the state. The first cargo ship, Zhen Hua from China, docked at Vizhinjam with the huge cranes to be installed at the port, ahead of Kerala's decades-old development dream of Vizhinjam port becoming a reality. The government will give an official welcome to the ship at 4 pm on the 15th.

The first ship, Zhen Hua, has brought a super post panamax crane which is 100 meters high and projecting 60 meters into the sea and two shore cranes which are 30 meters high, to the Vizhinjam coast. The Super Post Panamax is the largest crane ever installed at the country's ports. The arrival of the first ship was greeted with cheers by the group of officers and technicians waiting on shore.

The ship arrived through a shipping agency led by Norway-based Wilhelmsen Port Services Private Limited. The fact that there were no technical difficulties when the ship was brought close to the shore for the first time underscores the fact that Vizhinjam is one of the most natural harbours in the world. Once the port is completed, cargo ships and passenger ships from all over the world will start arriving, and there will be development progress that will change the face of not only Thiruvananthapuram but the state.

Adani Group, the private partner of the government, started the construction of the port on December 5, 2015. The project, which was initially announced to be completed within three years, could not be completed even after eight years due to the natural calamity of Okhi and the coronavirus that brought the entire world to a standstill. The construction is expected to be completed in 2026. The construction of railway and approach roads has to be completed in addition to this. Of this, the DPR prepared by the Konkan Railway for the 11 km railway from Vizhinjam to Balaramapuram has been approved by the Centre.

Urgent steps should be taken by the state government to complete the construction of railways and roads in time. Apart from this, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed that Adani Company has expressed its willingness to start a logistics park project in the area which can provide direct employment to 2000 people. The outer ring road, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, will be used to maximize the port's connectivity. The youth living in the project area will be the ones who benefit the most when the Vizhinjam project is completed. It can be hoped that the project will turn out to be good for both those who opposed it and those who supported it.