Vizhinjam Port gets dock requests from 100 UAE-bound ships amid Hormuz blockade, but there's a catch

The Vizhinjam Port in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram has emerged as another hotspot for increased vessel traffic, owing to the US-induced blockade on the Strait of Hormuz—one of the key consequences of the war in the Gulf that nears 50 days.

About 100 ships from eight international shipping companies are lining up in a waiting list for berths at Vizhinjam, as they are unable to head towards ports in the UAE.

The key factor that has played in the port's favour is its proximity to the international shipping route—it is located just 10 nautical miles off the route taken by the UAE-bound vessels.

This saves it the extra travel time and fuel that it would need to travel north along India's western coast to reach the Mumbai Port in Maharashtra or the Mundra Port in Gujarat.

Despite the sheer number of vessels from Europe, South America, China, and Singapore all lining up for a berth, a Manorama Online report noted that the port is currently unable to take full advantage of the opportunity, due to a severe shortage of space.

The report added that the port's container berth, measuring 800m (under phase one), is currently capable of berthing two mother ships—or four feeder vessels—at a time.

Currently, this space is almost entirely booked by international shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), leaving no room for other vessels as yet, and possibly foregoing the chance to conduct more shipping operations worth crores in additional revenue for the port.

As a part of phase two of its expansion operations, for which the port has received Rs 10,000 crore from the Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), this container berth will be expanded in size from 800m to 1,200m by 2027, and then to 2,000m by 2028.

This would allow the berth to house three mother ships by 2027—and five by 2028—instead of two.