Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram (, ) also known as Trivandrum Port (IN TRV 01) is India's first deep-water transshipment port. Located at Vizhinjam within the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the port is designed to be a multi-purpose, all-weather, green port and is about from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. It is India's first automated port, and its only port directly adjacent to an international shipping lane. The port is from the heavily trafficked east–west shipping channel connecting Europe to the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the Far East (Suez–Far East route and Far East–Middle East route). The port has a natural depth of 24 metres (reducing the need for dredging) and can host many of the world's massive cargo ships, including those exceeding 24,000 TEU such as ULCS container ships. The port was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 May 2025.
The port's breakwater is India's deepest, reaching a depth of 28 metres – roughly equal to the height of a nine-storey building. The largest vessel to dock at the port is the MSC Türkiye (399.99 metres long and 61.3 metres wide, with a capacity of 24,346 TEU); the highest TEU movement on a single vessel was 10,576 TEU on the MSC Paloma. A cruise berth is under construction along the breakwater for cruise ships. When fully commissioned, the port is expected to be capable of accommodating 50 percent of India's container transshipment currently handled at Dubai, Colombo and Singapore. The project's first phase cost ; and the remaining phases cost .
The port's location, near the southern tip of the Indian coast, provides access to other Indian ports on the eastern and western coasts. Its breakwater extends 7.5 metres above the waterline and 22 metres below. The breakwater is 3.1 kilometres long, and will be extended to 4.5 kilometres in the port's final phase. The STS Super Post-Panamax crane, with an outreach of 72 metres, a back reach of 20 metres, a rail gauge of 35 metres and a lifting height of 74 metres, is India's tallest STS crane. A rail connection planned for Vizhinjam Seaport will include the construction of India's third-longest rail tunnel. The port, owned by the government of Kerala, will be operated by the Adani Group for 40 years.
Vizhinjam International Seaport is expected to compete with international ports such as Colombo in Sri Lanka, Salalah in Oman, Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai and Singapore Port. Its construction has three phases, with which the first phase was completed by September 2024. It is proposed to follow the landlord-port model, accommodating passenger, container and other cargo shipping.
Vizhinjam Port and Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram
Vizhinjam Port and Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram are both in Thiruvananthapuram. Vizhinjam Port (UN/LOCODE: IN VZJ), managed by the Kerala Maritime Board, primarily supports maritime activities. Vizhinjam International Seaport is in the Vizhinjam harbour. The port has two berths: seaward and leeward. Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram (UN/LOCODE: IN TRV), managed by Vizhinjam International Seaport is designed for large container ships and international trade. To avoid confusion, it is often called Thiruvananthapuram Port.
History Early history Maritime trade in the region dates back to the second century BCE. When the Ay dynasty was defeated by the Pandyas in the eighth century CE, they migrated to Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram. Several kings, including Chadayan Karunanthan (788), Karunanthadakkkan "Srivallabha" and Vikramaditya Varaguna (who ruled ), were Ay chiefs of Vizhinjam. A 2006 excavation unearthed remnants of a fort in Vizhinjam which probably belonged to the Ay chieftains and was believed to date back to the eight or ninth century. According to Sangam literature, the fort was destroyed in the 12th century during the invasion of Kolothunga Chola. Vizhinjam was developed into a port by Raja Kesava Das, dewan of Travancore, during the reign of Rama Varma I.
1940s The idea for a modern port at Vizhinjam was considered by C. P. Ramaswami Iyer when he was diwan of Travancore. Although a survey was conducted during the 1940s, the foundations of the port were conceived about fifty years later. Eliyas John and the Vizhinjam Mother Port Action Committee aimed to educate the public and government authorities about the need for the port. On royal orders, a British engineer arrived in Travancore to study the Vizhinjam area. The Vizhinjam Harbour Special Section was established in 1946 by the Airport Division of the Public Works Department. The survey data was forwarded to Britain and the Travancore government. By the time Travancore and Kochi merged, India was independent. In Thiru-Kochi, the need for a port challenging Kochi's gained traction and the Vizhinjam Port office was closed.
1991 to 2015 In 1991, ports minister M. V. Raghavan laid the groundwork for the project. Initial preparations for a port at Vizhinjam were begun in 1991 by the K. Karunakaran government in Kerala. The E. K. Nayanar government also advanced the project. The A.K. Antony government, which came to power in Kerala, entered into tender proceedings. An MoU was signed by the state government and Kumar Engineering Corporation to develop the port. In 2006, the V.S. Achuthanandan government addressed issues related to the port and resubmitted its request for clearance to the central government the central government rejected the application again for security reasons. An all-party meeting was then held, and new tender proceedings were begun; an international meeting was organised to attract investors for the port's construction.
A public–private partnership (PPP) model was suggested, and the Andhra Pradesh company Lanco Group submitted a bid which was accepted. Lanco's bid was challenged in the Kerala High Court by Zoom Developers, and Lanco withdrew it. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was appointed the port's lead advisor in November 2009. In 2009 and 2010, the IFC produced a series of studies and reports recommending a landlord model (where the state would invest over US$1 billion in constructing the port) instead of the PPP model. Larsen & Toubro Infrastructure Engineering began the port's environmental impact assessment.
After the landlord model was accepted by the state government, bidding concluded; a consortium, led by Welspun Group, was the only entity eligible to operate the port. Welspun requested a grant of approximately in net present value over a 16-year period. In negotiations between the Kerala government and the Welspun Group, Welspun agreed to reduce its grant request to 400 crore; the state government rejected its offer.
A Ministry of Environment committee recommended approval of the project on 3 December 2013, and tenders for construction of a breakwater, fish-landing centre, and port operator began the following day. The Adani Ports and SEZ was the project's sole bidder, and was awarded the contract by the Oommen Chandy government in 2015. Steps toward land acquisition were also taken by the Chandy government.
After 2015
When construction began on 5 December 2015, Adani Group CEO Gautam Adani said that the first ship would dock at the port on 1 September 2018. In 2017, Cyclone Okchi damaged part of the breakwater. A shortage of limestone, the project's most critical raw material, caused another delay. The port also faced resistance from surrounding fishing communities and church groups, who said that the construction and debris hampered their ability to fish. It was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adani Group invoked force majeure to explain why the project was not completed in time.
When the port's first phase neared completion, the first general cargo ship from China arrived at the Vizhinjam port on 12 October 2023. The ship, Zhen-Hua 15, left China in August and had arrived at Mundra Port in Gujarat few weeks earlier. It carried one quay crane and two yard cranes which would be installed at the port.
The San Fernando, its first container ship, docked on 11 July 2024. Vizhinjam International Seaport welcomed the MSC Türkiye, the world's largest eco-friendly container ship, in April 2025.
Infrastructure
The port, about from Kerala's capital city Thiruvananthapuram, is about from the international east–west shipping route connecting Western Asia, Europe, Africa and the Far East. India's first deepwater transshipment terminal, it is being developed in three phases. The port has negligible littoral sedimentation. With a natural depth of , construction requires minimal dredging. Its proximity to international shipping routes and its modern port facilities shorten vessel turnaround time (VTT).
When phase one was completed, Vizhinjam port was expected to accommodate 1 million TEU (20-foot-equivalent container units). Succeeding phases were expected to add another 6.2 million TEU, accounting for more than 70 percent of India's transshipment by 2023. The port will be connected by India's third-longest railway tunnel, due for completion in 2028. The STS Super Post-Panamax crane has an outreach of 72 metres, a back reach of 20 metres, a rail gauge of 35 metres, and a total lifting height of 74 metres.
The port will include two breakwaters, a harbour basin and wharfs. In phase one, a breakwatera main breakwater and a extension for fishingwas developed. Most of the 10-plus berths (2000m overall length) can accommodate large ships. A multipurpose berth has been designed for luxury cruise ships. The port has an berth capable of handling 18,000-TEU container vessels and a container yard behind its wharf with a depth of up to . The fish-landing centre has a berth, a port-craft berth and a Coast Guard berth. The Indian Navy has storage and operation facilities and a berth.
Cruise terminal
The port provides access to beaches, historical sites and cultural attractions in Kerala, including Kovalam, Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. A planned 600-metre cruise terminal with a multipurpose 620-metre berth is also under development.
Additionally, a 20-acre cruise village is proposed to support cruise tourism operations, designed as an integrated passenger hub featuring immigration and customs clearance facilities, cruise passenger lounges, baggage handling systems, tourist information centres, and dedicated transport connectivity to nearby destinations. The project also includes retail and duty-free shopping areas, restaurants, cultural experience zones showcasing Kerala’s heritage, and facilities for tour operators to facilitate shore excursions, aiming to position Vizhinjam as a major international cruise gateway on India’s southern coast.
Crew changes
Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram is expected to be a convenient crew-change point for vessels in the Indian Ocean region. Its proximity to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, 16 km (9.9 mi) from the seaport, facilitates crew changes.The port supported crew changes for 736 vessels during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The first crew change during the trial run was made in August 2024.
Bunkering
The port is expected to become an important destination for bunkering and a significant port of call due to its location, about 10 nautical miles from a major international east–west shipping route. Its master plan provides for a liquid storage area for a bunkering-tank farm and associated utilities in the initial phase.
Location Suez-to-Singapore route