Adani Vizhinjam Port makes new history, becomes fastest Indian port to handle 2 million TEUs in 18 months of operation

‘Adani Vizhinjam International Seaport’ developed and operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has set a new milestone in global maritime trade. This international port has become the fastest port in India to handle a landmark cargo volume of $2$ million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) within just $18$ months of commencement of commercial operations.

Vizhinjam Port began its trial run in July $2024$, after which it was officially dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May $2025$. After this, within just three months, i.e. in August $2025$, it crossed the $1$ million TEU mark and has now proved its operational capability by achieving the historic achievement of $2$ million TEU within $18$ months.

India’s strategic ‘game changer’ amid global crisis

This achievement comes at a time when global supply-chains and shipping routes are increasingly disrupted due to the ongoing conflict and geopolitical tensions in West Asia. Vizhinjam’s strategic location on the Indian Ocean Corridor (IOR) is proving to be a boon for international shipping lines that want safe passage, operational efficiency and short turnaround time.

• First choice of mega ships: Vizhinjam has successfully handled over $950+ vessels since commencement of operations. These include $67$ Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs), which are approximately $400$ meters in length.
• Host of the world’s largest ships: The world’s largest container ship ‘MSC Irina’ and ‘MSC Verona’, one of the deepest draft ships to call at an Indian port, have also been docked at this port.

Big advantage of natural structure and geographical location

Vizhinjam is located just $10$ nautical miles away from the International East-West Shipping Route. It is at the very center of trade routes to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Natural deep draft of 20 meters: The biggest technical advantage of Vizhinjam Port is its natural deep draft of approximately $20$ metres. This allows the world’s largest ships to dock easily without any additional and heavy dredging, saving shipping companies both fuel and transit time.

For decades, a large share of India’s transshipment cargo has been routed through foreign ports such as Colombo, Singapore or Dubai. With this rapid development of Vizhinjam, India’s dependence on foreign countries will reduce significantly and the country’s revenue will remain safe within the country.

₹16,000 crore Phase-2 expansion and APSEZ’s dominance

At present the work of expansion of ‘Phase-2’ of Vizhinjam Port is going on at a fast pace. A huge investment of about ₹16,000 crore is being made in this, which is targeted to be completed by the year 2028. After this expansion, the container handling capacity of the port will increase manifold, which will give a new global impetus to India’s export-import (EXIM).

It is noteworthy that its parent company APSEZ has also recently become the country’s first integrated transport operator to handle more than $500 million metric tons (MMT) of cargo in a year, further strengthening its monopoly in India’s private port sector.