India’s Vizhinjam International Seaport will launch full export-import operations on 18 August, opening the Adani-operated terminal to Indian gateway cargo alongside transshipment, according to an official statement from Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
The move will allow containers originating in or destined for India to pass directly through the Kerala port rather than being limited to transfers between vessels. Satheesan is due to flag off the first export container at the launch.
The Kerala government will then hold the Mission Samudra Business Summit for shipping companies, logistics providers, exporters, investors and other industry participants.
The EXIM start forms part of the state government’s 100-day action programme. Kerala expects the services to reduce cargo transport costs, improve supply-chain efficiency, support Indian exporters and encourage investment and employment.
Mission Samudra is intended to connect ports, logistics, manufacturing, inland waterways and multimodal transport infrastructure under a long-term maritime development programme.
Vizhinjam began commercial operations in December 2024 and crossed 2m TEU within 18 months. It received its 1,000th commercial vessel in June 2026. The terminal will remain an open-access, common-user facility serving shipping lines on a non-discriminatory basis once gateway operations begin.
Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited was incorporated in July 2015 to develop, operate and maintain the port. The private limited company is a subsidiary of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited and operates under a design, build, finance, operate and transfer concession signed with the Kerala government on 17 August 2015. It received the project’s provisional completion certificate on 3 December 2024.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited is the parent company of the concessionaire and the private-sector participant in the port project.