Vizhinjam Port Status, November 2026: Cargo, Phase 2 and Connectivity
By PortConnect
Nearly two years after commercial operations began on 3 December 2024, Vizhinjam International Seaport is handling more cargo than its first phase was designed for, and work has moved on to the second phase. This is where things stand, with the source for each figure listed at the end.
Cargo so far
- More than 2.28 million TEU handled by mid-August 2026, across about 1,100 ship calls, including more than 80 ultra-large container vessels.
- The first million TEU took about ten months. The second million was reached at about eighteen months.
- May 2026 is the busiest month reported so far, at 130,863 TEU. Phase 1 was designed for about 1 million TEU a year.
- The port has handled MSC Irina, which at 24,346 TEU is the largest container ship to have called in India.
- Direct export-import cargo started on 18 August 2026, and the first import container arrived on 31 October.
Phase 2: what is being built
- The container berth grows from 800 metres to 2,000 metres.
- The breakwater is extended from 2.96 km to about 4 km.
- Annual capacity rises to 5.7 million TEU.
- 21 ship-to-shore cranes and 45 yard cranes are planned.
- The investment is about ₹16,000 crore, which takes the Adani Group's commitment to the port to about ₹30,000 crore.
- The target for completion is December 2028.
Road, rail and water links
Road. When export-import cargo started in August, trucks were reaching NH 66 by a temporary approach road. A permanent cloverleaf interchange is planned at the junction but had not been built, and the Outer Ring Road (NH 866, Vizhinjam to Navaikulam) that it is tied to is delayed. The Union road ministry told Parliament in August that a revised project report is ready and that statutory clearances are still being obtained. The state has said it will set aside ₹3,200 crore for the ring road's land acquisition.
Rail. A 10.7 km line will connect the port to Balaramapuram station, about 9.4 km of it in tunnel. The cost is put at ₹1,482.92 crore. Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited builds and maintains the line under Indian Railways' supervision, and Indian Railways will run the trains. The railway minister described the project as under execution in August 2026 and said the finish date depends on when all the land is handed over. Earlier plans aimed for the end of 2028.
Container freight station. A state-run freight station at Balaramapuram, for both full-container and part-load cargo, is due to be fully working in February 2027.
Inland waterway. Kottayam Port officials have proposed a 180 km barge route to Vizhinjam along the national waterways, with a transit time of 12 to 14 hours. It is a proposal for now, to be discussed with the port and the state government.
The state's ₹400 crore Mission Samudra programme places Vizhinjam at the centre of its plan for ports, logistics and industrial clusters.
What businesses should take from this
- Land-side services are the gap. Reports name warehousing, container yards, cold storage and the wider logistics network around the port as underdeveloped. That is where demand will show up first.
- Plan around road for now. On current targets, rail is about two years away.
- Watch February 2027. The freight station should make part-load cargo and smaller exporters easier to serve.
- Ship calls keep rising. More vessels mean more work for agents, chandlers, repairers and suppliers.
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Sources
Facts in this article come from published reports; the wording and the guidance are PortConnect's own. Checked on 12 November 2026.
