Vizhinjam port misses the boat to host stranded container ships

T'puram: Vizhinjam International Seaport has lost an opportunity to host container ships that got stranded on their way to the Middle East amid the war in the region because construction works at the port are still ongoing and the yard is full of containers brought by the existing vessels. The port is the easily accessible deepwater port nearest to the international shipping line connecting southeast Asia to the Middle East that can handle motherships. A port official said that the port has received several requests from shipping companies to anchor their ships and also to unload containers. However, the port had to decline these requests because the port is getting an ever-increasing traffic every month, he added. The port's yard now handles 40,000 containers, much above its capacity. The port has told shipping companies that it will not be able to accept additional traffic. There are three to four ships waiting in the outer anchorage for slots to dock at any given time. The port has handled 890 ships and 18.58 lakh containers so far, showing that it has emerged hugely popular even before all phases of construction are yet to be completed and transhipment by rail and road is yet to begin. Second phase construction is going on to extend the berth to accommodate five motherships at a time. The requests from shipping companies show that the port has the potential to become a major hub when expansion is completed. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor posted on social media that Vizhinjam is officially India's transshipment answer to the world. "When I first helped bring in the tender bid that made the port a reality, it was a long-shot project with plenty of sceptics and critics. Today, the tides are turning at Vizhinjam. With the ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the world is looking for a new, reliable gateway — and Vizhinjam has answered the call. India's first deep-water transshipment hub is no longer just a project; it's a global necessity," he said.