T’puram: Vizhinjam international seaport will commence full export-import (exim) operations on Tuesday, marking a shift from its role as a transshipment hub to a gateway for Kerala’s own exports and imports.Chief minister V D Satheesan will flag off the first export container at a ceremony on Tuesday. Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal will be the chief guest. The state govt will also launch its port-led development programme, Mission Samudra, and unveil its logo.Vizhinjam began trial operations in July 2024 and commercial operations five months later. As of July 31, 2026, 1,057 vessels called at the port. It has handled more than 2.24 million TEUs. The port has direct regular and ad-hoc services connecting it to more than 110 major ports across 50 countries on six continents.The commencement of EXIM operations will allow exporters to ship cargo directly to overseas markets instead of routing consignments through transshipment hubs such as Colombo, Singapore and Dubai. The first export container from Vizhinjam was shipped to Valencia, Spain, as part of the trial run. The state govt expects direct connectivity to reduce transit time and logistics costs and open up overseas markets for sectors including agricultural products, spices, cashew, marine products, handloom and textiles. It also expects the new exim activity to drive demand for warehousing, cold storage, container freight stations and logistics parks in Thiruvananthapuram and neighbouring districts.A customs public notice has already been issued to facilitate exim operations. A road temporarily connecting the port area to NH 66 has been completed, while a customs-bonded area for exim containers has been created within the port to address the absence of a container freight station in Thiruvananthapuram.The state govt is also positioning Vizhinjam as the anchor of a wider Vizhinjam maritime economic region under Mission Samudra. The programme envisages eight industrial clusters and three new cities linked to the state’s coastline, with a Rs 400-crore catalytic fund for port connectivity, logistics development and industrial clusters. The programme comprises 14 sub-schemes, with programme management and capacity building as a cross-cutting component.Mission Samudra is intended to link Vizhinjam with industrial and logistics infrastructure across the state, including Kinfra parks, NH 66, NH 544, the proposed outer ring road, National Waterway-3 and inland waterways. The govt also plans to integrate the state’s 17 minor ports with Vizhinjam and develop facilities such as ship-repair units, multimodal logistics parks and container freight stations through public-private partnerships and private investment.The govt has identified food products, textiles, Ayurveda, pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronics, rubber and plastics and high-tech manufacturing among the sectors that could benefit from the port’s exim connectivity. It also plans a seafood park at Vizhinjam through fishermen’s cooperative societies.The govt expects around 45 new industrial units to be established in the first year and aims to increase the number to more than 1,500 by 2040 while expanding the area under such industrial activity from 20 hectares to more than 420ha. Officials expect Mission Samudra to attract more than 10 times the public investment in private capital by 2031 and generate employment across port operations, logistics, manufacturing, trade, construction and allied services.
