Vizhinjam International Seaport
Encyclopedia
Vizhinjam International Seaport is an International deepwater multi-Purpose Shipping Hub coming up at Thiruvananthapuram
in the India
n state of Kerala
. The total project expenditure is pegged at 6595 crores over three phases and is proposed to follow the landlord port model with a view to catering to passenger, container and other clean cargo.
Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) is a special purpose government company (fully owned by Government of Kerala) that would act as a implementing agency for the development of a greenfield port - Vizhimjam International Deepwater Multi purpose Seaport- at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram
, capital city of Kerala.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group is the transaction advisor to VISL.
IFC has commissioned a team of high quality consultants for the implementation of the project.
• State-of-the-art technical design and environmental and social study by Royal Haskoning.
• Investment quality market study by Drewry Shipping Consultants.
• International legal team of Allen & Overy (Singapore) and Trilegal (India).
The port terminal will be developed under Public Private Partnership(PPP) model wherein the construction and operation of the port terminal would be on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The port development along with the external infrastructure work is envisaged to be carried out in phases with the cumulative cost estimated to be around Rs. 6595 crore. The port is envisaged to provide in total 2000m of quay length in three phases and is designed to cater primarily for containers transshipment, besides providing for other type of cargo such as Multi-Purpose, Break Bulk.
The construction of basic civil infrastructure viz. dredging, land reclamation, construction of breakwaters and quay wall, as also land acquisition, road/rail connectivity and other external infrastructure required in phase 1 and the cost for the same is estimated to be Rs. 3040 crore. The said project cost is proposed to be funded through Rs. 1130 cr as equity from GoK and balance amount is proposed to be raised as debt through loans from banks/ institutions and through bonds.
The port is proposed at Vizhinjam, 16 km away from Thiruvananthapuram, capital of State of Kerala. Kerala being the southern most state in India beset by Arabian Sea. The proposed Vizhinjam port is just 10 nautical miles from the International Shipping Lane. The Vizhinjam port is endowed with a natural seawater depth of up to 24 m as close as one nautical mile from the seacoast. Due to this natural depth, Vizhinjam can attract the largest container vessels currently in operation and also the future mega container carriers. Site needs minimal capital dredging thus the project cost and maintenance cost will be minimum.
Note: The above estimates are subject to revision ,in consultation with successful project partners.
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The total project expenditure is pegged at 6595 crores over three phases and is proposed to follow the landlord port model with a view to catering to passenger, container and other clean cargo.
Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) is a special purpose government company (fully owned by Government of Kerala) that would act as a implementing agency for the development of a greenfield port - Vizhimjam International Deepwater Multi purpose Seaport- at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, capital city of Kerala.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group is the transaction advisor to VISL.
IFC has commissioned a team of high quality consultants for the implementation of the project.
• State-of-the-art technical design and environmental and social study by Royal Haskoning.
• Investment quality market study by Drewry Shipping Consultants.
• International legal team of Allen & Overy (Singapore) and Trilegal (India).
Project Details
The port development is proposed to follow the landlord port model where the dredging, reclamation as well as basic external infrastructure work like construction of break-water and quay wall will be taken up by VISL. Further, it is also expected to monitor Land Aquisition, road/rail infrastructure, water and power supply required for the construction and operations of the port on behalf of Government of Kerala (GoK).The port terminal will be developed under Public Private Partnership(PPP) model wherein the construction and operation of the port terminal would be on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The port development along with the external infrastructure work is envisaged to be carried out in phases with the cumulative cost estimated to be around Rs. 6595 crore. The port is envisaged to provide in total 2000m of quay length in three phases and is designed to cater primarily for containers transshipment, besides providing for other type of cargo such as Multi-Purpose, Break Bulk.
The construction of basic civil infrastructure viz. dredging, land reclamation, construction of breakwaters and quay wall, as also land acquisition, road/rail connectivity and other external infrastructure required in phase 1 and the cost for the same is estimated to be Rs. 3040 crore. The said project cost is proposed to be funded through Rs. 1130 cr as equity from GoK and balance amount is proposed to be raised as debt through loans from banks/ institutions and through bonds.
Importance
During the last decade, there has been a steady growth of container traffic at the Indian ports. Currently, the majority of these ports rely on direct services or use far off ports for their transshipment needs. This necessitates the establishment of an International Deepwater Seaport and Container Transshipment Terminal in the Southern Indian Peninsula.The port is proposed at Vizhinjam, 16 km away from Thiruvananthapuram, capital of State of Kerala. Kerala being the southern most state in India beset by Arabian Sea. The proposed Vizhinjam port is just 10 nautical miles from the International Shipping Lane. The Vizhinjam port is endowed with a natural seawater depth of up to 24 m as close as one nautical mile from the seacoast. Due to this natural depth, Vizhinjam can attract the largest container vessels currently in operation and also the future mega container carriers. Site needs minimal capital dredging thus the project cost and maintenance cost will be minimum.
Advantages
- Vizhinjam is an all-weather port located on the Southern tip of the sub-continent, it is just 10-12 nautical miles from the busy Persian Gulf - Malacca shipping lanes which carry almost a third of the world shipping traffic.
- Central to the eastern and western coast lines of India - can cater to the needs of both west and east coast.
- The proposed transshipment terminal will be an ideal location for attracting mainline vessels ranging from Post Panamax to Malacca-max in a phased manner.
- The proposed site is endowed with natural depth of more than 20 m as close as one Nautical Mile from the sea coast.
- The proposed site has minimal Littoral drift and as such would hardly require any maintenance dredging during the years of operation. This will result in low O&M Costs.
- The proposed port is a Green-field project, away from urban/city limits, and thus can be master planned and shaped by the professional and experienced developer as per his own efficient designs and needs. The Port can turn out to be an efficient, modern and highly productive port with design, expertise and experience of the successful developer having international experience in such ports.
- Once the port is up, Indian exporters will not have to rely on foreign ports for trans-shipment of cargo. It is expected to save at least 1000 crores in expenditure annually.
Tourism Potential
- Kerala was listed as one of the 10 paradises in the world by National Geographic.
- Specialized cruise facilities charging competitive rates can promote significant tourism.
- KovalamKovalamKovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the down town of Trivandrum.-Etymology:...
(2 km) and VarkalaVarkalaVarkala is a coastal town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 50 kilometres north-west of Thiruvananthapuram and 37 km south-west of Kollam city.Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to...
(50 km) are major tourist destinations in India.
- KollamKollam district-Climate:Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around...
, a popular gateway for backwaters & lagoon excursions is less than 2 hours drive.
Proposed Project Plan
Proposed project plan for International Container Transshipment Terminal.| Phase | Berth Length (Meters) | Capacity (Million TEUs) | Project Cost ( Billion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase-I | 1245 | 1.8 | 23.9 |
| Phase-II | 1900 | 3.0 | 11.0 |
| Phase-III | 2860 | 5.3 | 18.6 |
| Total | 53.5 |
Note: The above estimates are subject to revision ,in consultation with successful project partners.
How to reach
| Nearest | Name | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Airport Airport An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport... |
Trivandrum International Airport | 22 km |
| Railway station | Trivandrum Central Trivandrum Central Trivandrum Central is the main railway station in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the largest and busiest railway station in Kerala in terms of passenger movement and the second most important rail hub in South India. It is also the most profitable station... |
16 km |
| City City A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S... |
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland... (Trivandrum) |
14 km |
Recent Developments
- Vizhinjam Project: Request for Proposal (RFP) issued
- VISL signs MOUs with SBT, RVNL and KSEB
- Vizhinjam port work to start in March 2011
- Fugro Geotech to conduct Geo-Technical studies
- Major infrastructure firms vie for Vizhinjam project
- Banks okay INR 2,500 crore ($550 Million) funding for Phase I
- India: Plan for Vizhinjam Port Unveiled
- RFQ issued for Vizhinjam port