Vizhinjam port sets trend in cargo handling
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, the first semi-automated container port in the country, is setting a new standard in cargo handling with the first mothership to dock at the port set to depart on Monday. This marks the country’s maiden handling of containers from a mothership with minimal manual intervention, offering a unique operational experience for shipping companies and port authorities alike.
Notwithstanding a colourful reception to mark the trans shipment trail, the actual offloading of containers turned out to be machine-driven and methodical. MV San Fernando arrived from China carrying nearly 2,000 containers. The Vizhinjam port has managed to not only offload over 1,000 containers but also reposition the remaining containers in the ship with the help of eight ship-to-shore cranes, including the country’s largest in the category (1,620-tonne), and 23-yard cranes. The eight quay cranes (ship-to-shore cranes) are semi-automated while the 23-yard cranes (or cantilevered rail-mounted gantry cranes) are fully automated and remotely operated, according to port officials.
“Typically, handling cargo of this scale would involve bustling activity with workers in the yard. However, the operation here was entirely managed from the control unit,” a port official told TNIE.
Every effort has gone into analysing the operation to arrive at the standards set by the port. “We may require more trial runs for it. Once the final details are set, it is going to be replicated with ease on the next set of ships lined up to visit the port,” the official added.
MV San Fernando with 1930 containers onboard stays berthed at Vizhinjam International Seaport
Mothership with 2000 containers docks at Vizhinjam Port
The port authorities calculate that shipping companies — keen on reducing berthing time — are unlikely to miss the speed of cargo handling. According to shipping experts, the cargo handling standards will be an additional positive to the natural advantage of a 20-metre natural draught capable of accommodating mega container vessels up to 24,000 TEU and the port’s advantageous proximity to international shipping channels. Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) Limited’s managing director Karan Adani made a special mention of the port’s machinery in his speech during the inauguration of the trial on July 12. “No other port in India — including our own highly advanced Mundra port — has these cranes or these technologies. In fact, what we have already installed here is South Asia’s most advanced container-handling technology. And once we complete the automation and the Vessel Traffic Management System, Vizhinjam will be in a class of its own as one of the most technologically sophisticated trans shipment ports in the world,” he said.
He also sounded optimistic about the competitive advantage of Vizhinjam considering the near saturation in all transhipment hubs, especially in Colombo.
The port authorities plan to continue with the trials using cargo ships before the actual commissioning slated for September/October. The trials are pivotal as they validate the port’s readiness to meet global operational standards for parameters such as dwell times, vessel turnaround, and berth productivity. The next vessel scheduled to arrive at the port is a larger one, measuring 400 metres. Belonging to MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, the vessel will be carrying over 2,000 containers.
San Fernando is expected to leave the port by Monday afternoon. Later, the feeder vessel Kmarin Azur, sailing under the Panama flag, will dock at Vizhinjam to load containers offloaded by the mothership.
