New Vizhinjam fishing harbour project gets in-principle nod from Kerala govt

The Kerala government's Fisheries Department on Saturday approved in-principle the construction of a new fishing harbour in Vizhinjam.

This project comprises the development of the new fishing harbour and the construction of a 235m-long breakwater to fortify the entrance to the existing Vizhinjam fishing harbour. The harbour itself will have a 500m L-shaped fishery berth, as well as associated ancillary facilities.

The Saturday order also noted that the completion of the new fishing harbour constituted a specific commitment under environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances for phase one of the project, an Indian Express report said.

This is why its construction has been included under the Funded Works provisions under the overall concession agreement.

The concessionaire for the new project will be Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), a subsidiary of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) that manages the Thiruvananthapuram-based port.

The first phase of the project will be implemented under Article 16 of AVPPL's original port concession agreement with the Kerala government, and comes after more than a decade of demands made by the Vizhinjam fishing community.

One such concern raised by the fishing community had been on the wave conditions at the entrance of the existing Vizhinjam harbour, due to which the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) conducted physical wave-model studies before recommending a revised fishing harbour configuration.

This revised package, which involved major changes to the location, alignment, breakwater configuration and berth arrangement of the harbour, was then approved on Saturday after the state government issued a change of scope notice to AVPPL.

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Sunday responded to the developments, saying that the new harbour would help fishermen safely dock their boats and load and unload fish, as per a PTI report.