Cochin port, Vallarpadam terminal to expand as Kerala drives maritime growth

Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Cochin Port and its Vallarpadam transshipment terminal will undergo further expansion to handle rising cargo, positioning Kerala as a key driver of India’s goal to become a maritime superpower by 2047.

Under Sagarmala, 54 projects worth ₹24,000 crore are underway in Kerala, with 20 completed. The Vizhinjam International Seaport, India’s first fully automated transhipment hub, has already handled 10.6 lakh TEUs and 500 ships since 2024. Cochin Shipyard is scaling its global shipbuilding and repair footprint, while the Kochi Water Metro—Asia’s largest integrated water transport system — is transforming urban mobility with 78 electric-hybrid vessels.

Tourism and logistics are also gaining from Kerala’s waterways, National Waterway 3, and Kochi’s cruise terminal, which has hosted 105 ships and 1.4 lakh passengers in three years. Nationally, the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 targets investments of ₹80 lakh crore, 1.5 crore jobs, and a push toward green shipping. With 840 Sagarmala projects worth ₹5.8 lakh crore planned by 2035, India’s ports have already cut turnaround times to 0.9 days, ahead of global benchmarks, with nine ports ranked among the world’s top 100.