The port, with a concession period of 30 years, will see three phases of development. In the first phase, Vizhinjam would be able to accommodate ships of 8,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), while subsequently, by 2012, it would be able to dock giant vessels as big as 12,000 TEUs, with a total capacity to handle 5.3 mn TEUs of cargo every year.

The port’s significance attaches from the fact that it would have a natural depth (draft) of about 20 metres, while being conveniently located at a distance of just 10 nautical miles from international shipping routes.

“The trend in international shipping is the use of supertankers and huge container ships. Currently, more than 40 VLCS (very large container ships over 7500 TEUs) are already in service and 160 are being constructed,” said Radhakrishnan. “The 11,000 TEU ‘Evelyn Maersk’ vessel is already in operation globally and vessels as big as 18,000 TEUs will be commissioned into the global shipping fleet. This port should be able to cater to such large super vessels.”