India's first transshipment port receives its first container ship

Adani Ports & SEZ announced the arrival of the first mother ship at its Vizhinjam port. This is a milestone event marking India's entry into the global transshipment and ushering in a new era in India's maritime history, positioning Vizhinjam as a critical player in the international trade routes, according to the company's release.

This also marks the debut of India's first automated port with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities, capable of handling large ships, with its modern container handling equipment and world-class automation and IT systems. San Fernando, the 300-meter-long container vessel operated by Maersk with a capacity of 8,000-9,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), will be availing the services at the port to offload about 2,000 containers and for 400 container movements within the vessel.

Currently, 25% of India's container traffic is transshipped en route to the destination. Until now, despite India's rising trade with the world, the country did not have a dedicated transshipment port, resulting in three-fourths or 75% of India's transshipped cargo being handled by ports outside India.