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Business Standard
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
From protest to prosperity: Vizhinjam port offers new hope for local youth
Just a few years ago, the name Vizhinjam was at the heart of fierce protests. Now, it is being spoken of as a symbol of opportunity and progress, especially among the youth in this coastal village. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport, a project once met with strong resistance from the local fishermen community. Today, it stands as a source of pride and employment for many of those same residents. "Who wouldn't want a good job in their hometown?" asked Rahul, a young man from the fishermen community, stepping out of the port wearing his safety helmet and uniform. He is among the 35 per cent of port workers who are from Vizhinjam. Many more are hoping to follow his lead. The port has slowly changed public opinion in the area. Years of protests, supported by the local Church, brought life in Vizhinjam to a standstill for over four months. It was only after a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the strikes were called off, with a promise of jobs and development. Now, those promises are beginning to materialise. Roshin, another young local who now works at the port, said, "This port is a game changer. Most youths here only had fishing as an option. Now they have a new future." The Kerala government had made it clear during its agreement with the Adani Group that local youth must be given priority in hiring. To support this, a Community Skill Park was set up in Vizhinjam under the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP), offering training tailored to port jobs. Among the most notable changes is the employment of nine local women as crane operators. These women, trained at the local skill centre, now handle the massive Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry cranes, which unload containers from ships. According to port officials, this is the first time women have been given such a role in any Indian port. Training doesn't stop there. Two groups of intermodal truck drivers trained at the skill park have already been hired, and 150 more young people are currently undergoing training. Manoj Nair, managing director of a mooring company at the port, confirmed they have already hired 24 local workers and plan to recruit more as the port expands. "This port will change not just Vizhinjam but all of Kerala," he said. The deep-water port has been developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India's largest port developer and part of the Adani Group, under a public-private partnership. The project was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore. In early 2025, Vizhinjam topped the list of ports on India's southern and western coasts for container cargo handling, managing over 100,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per month. A major milestone came when Vizhinjam berthed the MSC Turkey, one of the largest cargo ships to ever reach India. By 2028, the next phase of construction is expected to be complete, giving the port an annual capacity of at least 3 million TEUs. This phase will cost Rs 10,000 crore, which will be fully funded by Adani Ports.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From protest to prosperity: Vizhinjam port offers new hope for local youth
Just a few years ago, the name Vizhinjam was at the heart of fierce protests. Now, it is being spoken of as a symbol of opportunity and progress, especially among the youth in this coastal village. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Code of war: India and Pakistan take their battle to the (web)front Forex reserves show a pauperised Pakistan, a prospering India Pakistan conducts training launch of surface-to surface ballistic missile On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport , a project once met with strong resistance from the local fishermen community. Today, it stands as a source of pride and employment for many of those same residents. "Who wouldn't want a good job in their hometown?" asked Rahul, a young man from the fishermen community, stepping out of the port wearing his safety helmet and uniform. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo He is among the 35 per cent of port workers who are from Vizhinjam. Many more are hoping to follow his lead. The port has slowly changed public opinion in the area. Years of protests, supported by the local Church, brought life in Vizhinjam to a standstill for over four months. Live Events It was only after a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the strikes were called off, with a promise of jobs and development. Now, those promises are beginning to materialise. Roshin, another young local who now works at the port, said, "This port is a game changer. Most youths here only had fishing as an option. Now they have a new future." The Kerala government had made it clear during its agreement with the Adani Group that local youth must be given priority in hiring. To support this, a Community Skill Park was set up in Vizhinjam under the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP), offering training tailored to port jobs. Among the most notable changes is the employment of nine local women as crane operators. These women, trained at the local skill centre, now handle the massive Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry cranes, which unload containers from ships. According to port officials, this is the first time women have been given such a role in any Indian port. Training doesn't stop there. Two groups of intermodal truck drivers trained at the skill park have already been hired, and 150 more young people are currently undergoing training. Manoj Nair, managing director of a mooring company at the port, confirmed they have already hired 24 local workers and plan to recruit more as the port expands. "This port will change not just Vizhinjam but all of Kerala," he said. The deep-water port has been developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India's largest port developer and part of the Adani Group, under a public-private partnership. The project was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore. In early 2025, Vizhinjam topped the list of ports on India's southern and western coasts for container cargo handling, managing over 100,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per month. A major milestone came when Vizhinjam berthed the MSC Turkey, one of the largest cargo ships to ever reach India. By 2028, the next phase of construction is expected to be complete, giving the port an annual capacity of at least 3 million TEUs. This phase will cost Rs 10,000 crore, which will be fully funded by Adani Ports.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Port project, which once saw violent protests, emerges as key job provider in Kerala's Vizhinjam
For Steffy Rebeira, a trained graduate teacher from the fishermen community at Vizhinjam coast near here, a dream job is only a 10-minute ride from her home. One of the nine women operators of Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry (CRMG) cranes at the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISIL), the 32-year-old woman is employed at the country's first deepwater transhipment port. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the multi-purpose seaport project, which is slated to emerge as a key hub in the Asia-Europe shipping route, on May 2. The project is being executed by Adani Ports and SEZ Private Limited on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model. Trial run at the port began last July, and commercial operations followed months later. This comes two years after the fisherfolk in the area had staged a protest against the project. A senior official at the port said 755 people have been employed at the port by its operations partners and contractors. 'At present, approximately 67 per cent of the workforce is from Kerala, with 57 per cent from Thiruvananthapuram district alone. Besides, 35 per cent are specifically from the local region. We have employed nine women, particularly from the local fishing community, to operate large automated CRMG (Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry) cranes. This is the first time in any Indian port that women are operating such machinery,' said the official. Steffy, who worked in private schools for several years, said, 'When the port advertised for science graduates, I had applied for the job of crane operator. Of the 20 crane operators, nine are women. When all the male operators have exposure in other ports, we have got on-job training at Vizhinjam port.' Prinu, another CRMG crane operator at the port from the fisherfolk community, said, 'The port authorities gave preference to eligible applicants (science graduates) from the local fishermen community. Local people getting jobs has helped change the mindset of the youths, who otherwise would have to take up traditional fishing jobs or fly abroad for a livelihood.' In 2022, fishermen in the region, under the aegis of the Catholic Church, had staged protests against the port project that turned violent. They had alleged that its construction is causing massive sea erosion and may take away their livelihoods. 'Our concern was that the local needs should be addressed. Now, local clergy are now encouraging people to utilise the job opportunities,' Steffy said. The state government, in association with the VISL, has established a centre of the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme Kerala (ASAP) — a state undertaking to improve the employability of youths — at Vizhinjam. The centre has already trained three batches of lashers – people who are deployed for fixing and releasing containers on ships — and two batches of intermodal truck drivers. 'Of these trained local people, 17 have been appointed at the port as truck drivers and 24 as lashers. We are planning more port-based courses at the centre to enable the local people to tap emerging jobs in the region,' the official said.
