Kerala is looking to design Mission Samudra as a “port city” vision for Thiruvananthapuram with Vizhinjam as the major hub of a wider maritime economic region, according to Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan’s office.
The scheme includes eight industrial clusters, three new cities and Kerala’s 600‑kilometre coastline, backed by a ₹400‑crore catalytic fund across three verticals—ports and connectivity, cities and logistics, and development and clusters—alongside 14 programme‑management sub‑schemes.
The launch of the scheme ties into the formal commencement of gateway cargo operations at Vizhinjam, India’s first deep‑water transshipment hub.
Customs cleared the port to begin EXIM services from August 18, with the first export container to be flagged off by Satheesan at a ceremony attended by Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
Officials said that exporters who previously routed cargo for western markets via Colombo, Singapore or Dubai will now be able to ship directly from Vizhinjam, cutting transit times and logistics costs.
The event marks the formal transition of the port from a transshipment hub into one of India's most important commercial gateways, the CM office stated.
Small and medium firms in sectors like agricultural products, spices, cashew, marine products, handloom and textilesmight get a new lease of the life
Mission Samudra is projected to bring in more than ten times the initial public investment by 2031. The state government expects the port‑city strategy to generate jobs in port operations, transport, construction and such connected services, and to help shift Kerala from a predominantly consumer economy to a manufacturing and export hub.
Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram is just 10 nautical miles off the busy east‑west international shipping corridor. The Adani-operated maritime port is able to handle the world’s largest container vessels and could be even more massive when the feeder road and rail networks are completed.
