Parliament Question: Progress of Vizhinjam Port

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1028 ANSWERED ON 24.07.2026 PROGRESS OF VIZHINJAM PORT 1028. SHRI SHAFI PARAMBIL: Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state: प(cid:419)न, पोत प(cid:464)रवहन और जलमाग (cid:91) म(cid:287)ं ी (a) the present status of the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport project, including the extent of physical and financial progress achieved; (b) the total expenditure incurred on the project by the Union Government, the Government of Kerala and the private concessionaire, respectively; (c) the projected annual cargo handling capacity, expected revenue generation and employment potential of the port upon full commissioning; (d) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the economic and strategic significance of the port in enhancing trans-shipment capacity of the country and reducing dependence on foreign ports, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the measures taken by the Government to improve rail, road, and logistics connectivity to ensure the optimal utilization of the Vizhinjam Port? ANSWER MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL) (a) to (e) Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is a non-major port under the administrative jurisdiction of Government of Kerala and has been developed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. As per the information furnished by the Government of Kerala, Phase-I of the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport has been completed and commercial operations were commenced on 03.12.2024. The Government of India has provided ₹817.80 crore as Viability Gap Funding. The Government of Kerala has incurred expenditure of ₹3,764.55 crore towards the project. The Concession Agreement envisaged an investment of ₹2,454 crore by the private concessionaire for Phase-I.Phase-I of the port has an operational capacity of approximately 1.6 million TEUs per annum, with the ultimate planned capacity of 5.7 million TEUs per annum. Since commencement, the port has generated over ₹700 crore revenue and around 800 personnel are directly employed in port operations and maintenance. Vizhinjam International Seaport is India's first dedicated deep-water international container transshipment port, strategically located about 10 nautical miles from the international East-West shipping route with a natural draft of around 20 metres, enabling it to handle the world's largest container vessels without significant dredging. As informed by Government of Kerala, the Vizhinjam Port Rail Connectivity Project, connecting the Port to the National Railway network at Balaramapuram Railway Staton, has been approved at an estimated cost of ₹1,482.92 crore. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been executed with Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) and the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) for establishing logistics facilities to support EXIM cargo movement. *****