Less than a day
According to sources close to Vizhinjam port, the turnaround time would be less than one day in Vizhinjam. However, the exact details would be available only after the successful start of commercial operations, they said.
Vizhinjam also has certain limitations in offering competitive rates for shipping lines in the beginning compared to Colombo or Singapore. However, the major attraction of Vizhinjam is its proximity to international shipping routes and its deep draft. For instance, the minimum voyage time to Vizhinjam port from the Seuz route, which accounts for a significant share of the global container traffic between the U.S., Europe, and Asia, is around 0.5 to 1 hour, almost equal to the time to Colombo port. On the other hand, all the other ports on the west and east coasts of the country require a voyage of more than 5 hours from the shipping route, said sources.
Insufficient draft
Plus, with global shipping majors preferring ports with an 18-metre or more draft, Vihinjam , with an approximately 20-metre draft, is a major attraction for shipping lines. Even the neighbouring Cochin and V. O. Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi have an insufficient draft of 14.5 m and 14.2 m, respectively. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, Vizhinajm can now handle the largest mother ships in operation.
Further, considering the fact that Indian ports handle around 10% of transshipment cargo out of the total container traffic volume the ports handle every year, Vizhinjam can reduce the dependence of the EXIM communities on the foreign transshipment hubs of Singapore, Colombo, and Port Klang in Malaysia, said the sources.