Historic Moment: First container ship 'San Fernando' arrives at Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala

In a historic moment for Kerala, the container ship 'San Fernando,' with a capacity of 8,000 to 9,000 TEUs, arrived at the outer sea before docking at Vizhinjam on Thursday (July 11).

Thiruvananthapuram: The container ship 'San Fernando' made its inaugural arrival at the outer sea on Thursday (July 11), en route to docking at Vizhinjam Port. With a capacity of 8,000-9,000 TEUs, the vessel sailed from Xiamen Port in China and is expected to offload around 2,000 containers at Vizhinjam. The port will handle 400 containers, leveraging its state-of-the-art facilities to provide world-class services, marking a significant milestone in Vizhinjam Port's operations.

The vessel, which departed from Sri Lanka, arrived at the outer area before 7 am on Thursday. A harbour pilot will guide the ship to its berth, where it's scheduled to dock by 9:15 am. The ship's arrival will be ceremoniously marked with a water salute, led by the large tugboat Ocean Prestige and accompanied by smaller tugs Dolphin Series 27, 28, and 35.

With the opening of Vizhinjam International Port, a new chapter is opening in the development history of Kerala. 

The container ship will begin offloading its containers shortly after berthing. Following the inaugural ceremony on Friday, July 12, the ship will depart for Colombo.

Kerala's ambitious Vizhinjam Port project has taken a significant step forward with the successful trial operation, marked by the arrival of a container ship. This cutting-edge port, boasting state-of-the-art equipment, automation, and IT systems, is poised to become India's pioneering semi-automated port. The port is expected to be fully operational by September or October 2024, ushering in a new era in efficient and modern maritime trade.