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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday inaugurated the second phase of development of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, with Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) committing an additional investment of Rs 16,000 crore to expand the port’s capacity to 5.7 million TEUs by 2029.

The event was attended by Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports, and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.

Capacity Expansion 

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Karan Adani said the Phase II investment would significantly scale up operations at the port.

“With an additional investment of Rs 16,000 crores under Phase 2 and a cumulative commitment of Rs 30,000 crores, Vizhinjam will scale from a capacity of 1 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) to 5.7 million TEUs by 2029, emerging as India’s largest transhipment port and a globally competitive maritime hub,” he said.

Fastest Indian Port To Cross 1 Million TEUs

Highlighting the port’s early performance, the Adani Ports MD said Vizhinjam had achieved a key milestone within a short period of operations.

“In just 15 months of operations, Vizhinjam became the fastest Indian port to handle 1 million TEUs—firmly placing Kerala on the global shipping map and showcasing India’s port-led development vision,” he said.

He also noted that this was the largest investment committed by any business house in the state of Kerala.

Adani Credits CM Vijayan, Opposition Leaders For Support

Adani acknowledged the role played by the state leadership in the execution of the greenfield project.

“…I must admit that we would not have been able to complete this project if not for the continuous support of the CM. He has been our biggest asset that an investor can ask for when implementing such a large green field project…” he said.

He also thanked Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan and MP Shashi Tharoor for their support, calling the collaboration a strong example of cooperative federalism.

Phase II To Add Advanced Port Infrastructure

According to sources cited by PTI earlier, Phase II equipment development will include 21 automated ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 45 automated Cantilever Rail-Mounted Gantry (CMRG) cranes, a rail handling yard, and state-of-the-art electrical and automation systems.