When Zhen Hua 15 — a heavy load cargo carrier sailing from the East China sea — unloads at Vizhinjam port this Sunday, it’ll do more than just set down the site’s first gigantic cranes. It’ll also put India on the map for world’s biggest container ships Located near the southernmost tip of the country, the Vizhinjam transshipment container port — the first of its kind in India that will be inaugurated on Oct. 15 — will allow India to grab a bigger slice of the international maritime trade currently dominated by China. “The Vizhinjam port with its natural advantages will improve operating margins for Adani Ports.”Poor shipping connectivity has hindered India’s integration into the global value chain, the Reserve Bank of India said in a 2022 report. It will have a capacity of 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in the first phase at an investment of 77 billion rupees ($925 million). About 6.2 million TEUs will be added in the subsequent phases.Still, running transshipment container terminal won’t be an easy feat, even for a company with as rich an experience as Adani Ports that has already faced fishermen protests at this site.

Source: Economic Times October 15, 2023 17:47 UTC