Page 19 - ITLN May-June 2025

globally without being bottlenecked in
Colombo or Singapore.
But perhaps more importantly, it
gives India an opportunity to build
logistics ecosystems that are inclusive. Automation meets tradition
Think cold chains for agri-exports Vizhinjam also stands apart as India’s
from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Think first fully automated port. From crane
coastal shipping linking Mangalore operation to container scanning and
to Mundra via Vizhinjam. Think global inventory, much of the process is now
manufacturers setting up distribution managed by software and AI. This
hubs in south India—not because it’s ensures faster turnaround times and
cheaper, but because it’s smarter. fewer human errors.
If Vizhinjam can show that mega But this raises another critical point—
infrastructure and community how do we balance technology with
harmony can coexist, it won’t just employment? As the port automates,
be India’s best port—it’ll be its most there must be a parallel push to train Vizhinjam is positioned to anchor not
human one. local youth in port logistics, systems just cargo, but commerce, tourism,
Looking ahead, the expansion management, and digital operations. It’s and technology.
plans are ambitious. By 2028, an opportunity not just to move goods Already, the Indian government
Vizhinjam aims to hit 5 million but to uplift skills. is discussing new maritime policies
TEU capacity, powered by clean that would complement the port’s
energy, digitized systems, and high- Looking ahead: More than capabilities—offering incentives for
frequency connections. It may soon just a port coastal shipping, revisiting cabotage
become a feeder port for inland What Vizhinjam could become, laws, and attracting global liners to
waterways and even a testbed for if governed well, is more than a base operations here.
green hydrogen bunkering. seaport. It could be the nucleus of a If executed thoughtfully,
But no matter how advanced the new logistics corridor linking India’s these supporting moves could
cranes or how smart the yards, the soul southern tip to global supply chains. ensure that Vizhinjam isn’t a
of Vizhinjam will remain its story—a With future plans for rail and road standalone island of progress but
story of a coastal town that believed it connectivity, special economic zones the foundation of a networked,
could matter on the world stage. (SEZs), and even cruise terminals, modern maritime ecosystem.
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