High above the bustling docks of the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, a quiet revolution is taking place. Nine women, seven from the local fishing community, are at the controls of massive cranes, skillfully manoeuvring containers that power India's trade.
This groundbreaking initiative was the centrepiece of a powerful speech by Divya S. Iyer, Managing Director of India's first deep-water transhipment port (VISL), at THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2025 in Kochi this week.
“We have the first set of women crane operators in a large port in the country in Vizhinjam,” Iyer announced to a captivated audience, which included Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, “That to me is what prosperity looks like.”
Her words cut through the technical discussions of shipping and logistics, grounding the conversation in human impact.
For centuries, maritime work has been a male-dominated field, marked by superstitions such as the old adage that a woman on board invites a storm. But at Vizhinjam, that myth is being decisively debunked, one container at a time.
This initiative, supported by the Adani Skill Development Centre, trains local youth, with a special focus on empowering young women to take on these highly skilled roles.
Iyer described this as “shared prosperity” in action. It’s not just about building a port; it's about ensuring the local community feels the benefits directly. “The biggest joy,” she shared, “is when I meet women from the fisherman folk community... and they tell us... ‘we know that our children's future is going to be brilliant’.”
The Vizhinjam port itself is a monumental feat of engineering, built entirely on 66 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea. In just under a year of operation, it has handled over 1 million TEUs, a major milestone that demonstrates its potential to recapture a significant portion of India's transhipment cargo that was previously rerouted through foreign ports, saving the nation millions of dollars annually.
The IAS officer painted a picture of a new India—one that is not only building world-class infrastructure but also breaking down social barriers. She urged the young students in the audience to follow this lead, hoping to see many more women take up leadership roles in the maritime sector.
The VISL chief’s message was clear: the tides are changing. At Vizhinjam, women are not just operating cranes; they are lifting their communities, reshaping an industry, and steering Kerala—and India as nation—toward a more inclusive and prosperous future.
Iyer also welcomed Union Minister Sonowal, who was the chief guest and the keynote speaker for the concluding day of THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2025 at Crowne Plaza, Kochi.
