Context:
Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala welcomes its first container vessel.
About Vizhinjam International Seaport:
- Location – Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram)
- India’s 1st Deepwater Container Trans-shipment Port
- Currently developed in landlord model with a Public Private Partnership component on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.
- Landlord model – Port authority acts as regulatory body and as landlord, while port operations (especially cargo handling) are carried out by private companies (Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd in this case).
Importance of location of Vizhinjam:
- Proximity to international shipping routes connecting Europe, the Gulf and East Asia.
- Located within 10 nautical miles of the east-west shipping axis.
- A natural water depth of 18-20 m within a kilometre off the coast, suitable to accommodate very large mother vessels.
- Located on minimal littoral drift resulting in limited maintenance dredging.
- Ideal location for fuel bunkering.
- It is strategically located to efficiently aggregate and transfer cargo of Indian and regional origin onto larger vessels at reduced expenses compared to diverting them through Colombo.
Trans-shipment Hub:
- Trans-shipment hubs are ports that have connections to originating and destination ports
- Used as intermediate port for cargo transfer.
- Nearly 75% of India’s Trans-shipment cargo is handled at ports outside India.
- Ports of Colombo, Singapore, and Klang handle more than 85% of this cargo.
Significance of India as a Trans-Shipment Hub:
- Address the potential revenue losses for Major ports ($200-220 Million) in trans-shipment handling and increase port activity.
- Savings of foreign exchange reserves and attracting foreign direct investment.
- Development of related logistics infrastructure and employment generation.
- Growth of allied businesses such as ship repair, warehousing, bunkering etc.
What are Major and Minor Ports?
- Major ports in India are under the ownership and operation of the Central Government.
- In contrast, minor ports are owned and managed by state governments.
- India boasts a total of 12 major seaports and 217 designated minor and intermediate ports.
Click here to download Major Ports in India – Map
Classification of Ports:
- Based on cargo handled –
- Industrial ports are specialized in the handling of bulk commodities like grain, sugar, minerals, oil, chemicals, and similar materials.
- Commercial ports manage general cargo, encompassing packaged goods, manufactured products, and also accommodate passenger traffic.
- Comprehensive ports efficiently handle significant quantities of both bulk and general cargo.
- Based on location –
- Interior ports are inland ports that are not situated along the coast; instead, they are linked to the sea via rivers or canals. These ports are accessible to flat-bottomed ships and barges. Example: Kolkata Port on the Hoogli River.
- Out ports are deep-water ports located beyond the primary or main ports. These out ports play a crucial role in assisting the main ports by receiving vessels that are too large to navigate into the main port areas.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following pairs:
Port: Well known as
1. Kamarajar Port: First major port in India registered as a company
2. Mundra Port: Largest privately owned port in India
3. Visakhapatnam: Largest container port in Port India
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) All three pairs
(d) None of the pairs
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Mundra Port, India’s biggest commercial port by volumes, has overtaken state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to become the country’s largest container gateway by handling 5.65 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in FY21, posting a growth of 18 per cent compared to last year. Hence, Pair 3 is not correctly matched.
