Vizhinjam port gateway cargo operations expected by December 2025

With temporary road access to NH-66 still being built, gateway freight operations at Vizhinjam International Seaport are now only expected to start by December 2025 or January 2026. In order to align with the port’s first full year of commercial activity, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. (VISL) is getting ready to phase out export-import (exim) cargo operations. To align with infrastructure preparedness, the implementation will be phased in. Instead of launching at full volume, cargo movement will increase gradually.

Vizhinjam port has mostly functioned as a transshipment center since its commercial opening in July 2024. An important enhancement that will increase regional and global trade is the addition of exim cargo handling. By the time gateway services start, the temporary 1.7-kilometer road connecting the port to NH-66 should be completed, facilitating container truck traffic and easing congestion. Though ports minister VN Vasavan previously promised that services would commence by July 2025, sources suggest the state government is not in a rush to start gateway operations.

The monsoon slows the temporary road’s progress. A 150-meter section between a bridge and NH-66 still requires the construction of a retaining wall, and the service roads on either side need to be widened.  Customs officials will be housed in the completed port users’ building, and a scanner for cargo truck inspection has been placed close to the gateway. The proposed cloverleaf interchange at the NH-66 intersection is one significant decision that is still pending. Due to a delay in the state government’s review, final clearance is still pending even though NHAI has granted in-principle approval. A final decision is anticipated following a joint conference between the ports department and PWD, and port secretary A Kowsigan is presently undergoing deputation training.

The cloverleaf design, which is estimated to cost Rs 360 crore and requires 30 acres of land, could be sponsored in part by the Adani Group and the state government, with the Center possibly contributing 50% of the total cost. The temporary route will serve as a stopgap until then, facilitating the steady increase in cargo activities.