Credit war erupts over Kerala's Vizhinjam port even before first ship docks

The Chinese ship Zhen Hua 15 will arrive at Vizhinjam International Seaport on Sunday, October 15. The ship will be welcomed with a water salute.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Chinese ship Zhen Hua 15 will arrive at Vizhinjam International Seaport on Sunday, October 15. The ship will be welcomed with a water salute. The Minister for Ports Sarbananda Sonowal and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will officially receive the ship in a ceremony at Vizhinjam on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the political wraggling has started before the event to receive the first ship. The United Democratic Front (UDF) convener M. M. Hassan demanded that the new international seaport, Vizhinjam, be named after the former chief minister, Oommen Chandy. The minister stated that the Vizhinjam port project came to fruition as a result of the efforts of the UDF government and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's development vision and determination.

On the other hand, KPCC President K Sudhakaran accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the Left Democratic Front ( LDF) delayed the project by 4 years.

MV Govindan, the state secretary of CPM states that the idea of Vizhinjam port was put forward by EK Nayanar when he was the Chief Minister of Kerala in. He also stated that the credit of the project should be taken by everyone.

The Minister of Ports of Kerala, Ahamed Devarkovil, said that the dream project will come true in Vizhinjam on Sunday. The government has accepted all the demands raised by the fishermen. The minister also stated that fishermen will get all benefits from India's own development plan

The port, which is being built at a projected cost of Rs 7,700 crore, is expected to be commissioned by May next year.

The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by the Government of Kerala. It is designed primarily to cater to container shipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo.

The port's intended breadth is 150 metres. Reclamation of the sea would make available roughly 2.5 to 2.75 km2 (600 to 700 acres). The port would include two 1.5 km and 6 km breakwaters, as well as a harbour basin and wharves. There would be around 30 berths, the majority of which could accommodate mother ships.