The first container ship to dock at the Vizhinjam International Seaport will be carrying heavyweight cranes from China, the Kerala government has announced. The ship will berth at the controversial port on October 4. The second ship is expected to arrive on October 28, and the rest on November 11 and 14. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the docking of the first ship, which would be received by Union Minister of Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal.

“The first cargo ship will dock at Vizhinjam International Port on October 4. The ship will arrive from the port of Shanghai, China, carrying the huge cranes needed for the Vizhinjam port. Subsequent cargo ships will arrive on October 28, November 11, and 14,” the government said. An international meeting of port stakeholders is also being planned here in October.

During the commencement of the port by Adani on December 5, 2015, its founder Gautam Adani had announced that the first ship will berth here on September 1, 2018, in a record time of less than 1,000 days. But it failed to meet the deadline due to various factors. At the moment, more than 80% of the first phase of the work at the port is over. Soon after the first ship arrives, seven more ships are scheduled to arrive and the port will be opened to commercial operations in May next year.

After a contract was inked during the Congress-led UDF government under Chief Minister Oommen Chandy (2011-16), the work for the port began at the end of Chandy's tenure. After cyclone Ockhi hit the construction site in 2017, a portion of the constructed breakwater was washed away. The shortage of limestone, the most important raw material for the project, caused yet another delay. Residents of the area have staged multiple protests against the project alleging that the construction for the port caused coastal erosion, which in turn adversely affected the livelihood and lives of the fishermen community.

The state government has contributed 500 acres of land for the project, the total cost of which is Rs 7,525 crore. According to the agreement, Adani will operate the port for 40 years, extendable by 20 more years, while the state government will get a portion of the revenue from the port after 15 years.

(With IANS inputs)