Ship carrying six rail-mounted gantry cranes docks at Vizhinjam port

One more ship carrying the container handling cranes docked at the underconstruction Vizhinjam International Seaport here on Tuesday.

The ship carried six yard cranes (railmounted gantry cranes) to the port. With this consignment, a total of 21 cranes have arrived here out of the order of 32 cranes, including Rail Mounted Quay Cranes (RMQC) and 24 numbers of Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMGC), placed with China based M/s. Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company Limited (ZPMC) in 2018.

Two more ships carrying the remaining cranes are on the voyage to Vizhinjam which are expected to arrive here by April 17 and 23, as per the current position.

Trial run

The installation and trial run of 15 cranes which arrived here earlier, have been completed.

The trial run of port operations would begin only after the installation and automation of all the cranes in the port, said Vizhinjam port authorities.

As per the revised deadline for the port, the commercial operation of the port has to begin by December 2024.

The Vizhinjam port authorities are hopeful of a fullfledged trail run by September by bringing containers on barges to the port. According to Sreekumar K. Nair, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited, the fullfledged commercial operation of the port will be a reality by the first of next year.

Industrial parks

Ahead of the opening of the port, the State government has also begun steps to start industrial parks in the capital to catalyse industrial growth. Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, a major infrastructure project promoted by the State government in publicprivate partnership (PPP) mode, which is one of the largest private sector investments in the State, is being developed by Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited.

The ship carrying container-handling cranes being docked at the Vizhinjam port on Tuesday.