Vizhinjam Port to begin Phase 2 construction in January 2026 after major Phase 1 success: Kerala govt

Kerala's ports minister V.N. Vasavan on Tuesday confirmed that construction work for the second phase of construction at the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram would begin in January 2026.

Vasavan told reporters at a press conference at the state capital that this decision came after the first phase of operations at the major seaport exceeded expectations by a huge margin.

As per a recent review meeting on the continuation of works at the Vizhinjam Port, the first phase (which began in December 2024) saw the seaport handle about 14 lakh containers from 636 vessels—an increase of four lakh from the target of ten lakh containers.

This included containers from some of the world's largest cargo vessels—such as the MSC Turkey, the MSC Irina and the MSC Verona—ships that had never earlier approached ports along the Asian coastline, Vasavan said.

As part of the second phase, the seaport's existing 800m berth will be extended to 2,000m—a 150 per cent increase in size. The existing 2,960m breakwater area will also be extended to nearly 4,000m—a roughly 35 per cent increase.

This will enable better (and increased) handling of large vessels, boosting its growing prowess as one of India's major transshipment hubs, as well as its importance in India's growing maritime ecosystem. 

"The inauguration of construction works for the next phase will be held in the second week of January. The final date will be announced after considering the availability of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani," Vasavan said about the Adani Ports-operated seaport.

As per the latest version of the agreement, phases 2-4 are set to be completed by 2028, with plans for the third and fourth phases already underway.