Shpping Ministry clears Vizhinjam project

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 17 (UNI) The much-awaited Internatioanal container trans-shipment terminal project at Vizhinjam, near here, has got clearance of the Union Shipping Ministry.

Talking to reporters here today, state Law and Ports Minister M Vijayakumar said the state government had received the security clearance for the project from the Shipping Ministry.

The Defence Ministry had already given green signal for the Rs 5,348 crore Deep sea port. The first phase was expected to be completed in three years.

A total of 1,088 hectares of land would be acquired for construction of basic infrastructure facilities such as warehouses, railway lines, roads and parking space, he said.

The project would be construct on BoT basis and the tenure would be for 30 years.

The project, the largest container trans-shipment port in the country, located about 16 km from the city, enjoys close proximity (10 nautical miles) to international sea routes connecting Europe, Persian Gulf and the Far East.

The other advantage of the port is that it has a 15 Metre natural draught. The proximity to international sea routes is best suited for the development of a world class, all-weather deep-water port.

The project, proposed to be developed as a trans-shipment hub for both domestic and international container traffic, will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

The project is proposed to be developed in four phases with an ultimate capacity of 6.5 million TEUs (20 foot equivalent unit).

India currently depends on international ports at Colombo, Malaysia, Al-Salalah and Singapore for container trans-shipment.

The project will benefit Indian companies engaged in export and imports as it would save substantial foreign exchange outgo, time, costs and transshipment risks. UNI CGV PMM LS RK2013