Vizhinjam Seaport Reaches 1,000 Vessel Milestone In Under Two Years, Emerges as Global Maritime Hub

 

Thiruvananthapuram : Vizhinjam International Seaport has achieved a major milestone by handling 1,000 commercial vessels in less than two years since receiving its first ship.

The arrival of the massive mother vessel MSC Luciana is a rare milestone. Vizhinjam has achieved a historic cargo throughput of 20 lakh (2 million) TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), making it the fastest commercial port in India to hit this benchmark.

 

Port authorities accorded the 1,000th vessel a traditional water salute upon its arrival. The achievement comes less than two years after the port welcomed its first commercial ship, San Fernando, on July 11, 2024, while full-scale commercial operations began on December 3, 2024.

 

Before reaching the latest milestone, the port had already handled more than 950 vessels, including 67 Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) measuring up to 400 metres in length—a record for any Indian port. Global container carriers such as MSC Irina and MSC Verona have regularly docked here, demonstrating the port’s capacity to handle next-generation mega-ships.

Located only 10 nautical miles from the busy East-West international shipping corridor, Vizhinjam is rapidly evolving into a pivotal transhipment hub connecting South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and South America. Developed through a public-private partnership between the Government of Kerala and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), the project commenced commercial operations in December 2024, was dedicated to the nation in May 2025, and surpassed its first 10 lakh TEU mark by August 2025.

 

According to the company, Vizhinjam's rise enables India to "retain this trade within its borders while competing directly with established maritime hubs across the Indian Ocean region."

The company has said that the port is now moving ahead with its second phase of expansion, involving an estimated investment of ₹16,000 crore and targeted for completion by 2028.

The project will substantially increase container-handling capacity and facilitate full-fledged Export-Import (EXIM) operations. The milestone also complements the broader success of APSEZ, which recently became the first integrated transport operator in India to handle 500 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year.