Kerala: Third Chinese Ship Carrying Crane Docks At Vizhinjam International Seaport

The third Chinese vessel, carrying six-yard cranes from Nantong, China, docked at the under-construction Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala on Monday.

Following requests by the Adani Group, which is building the port, and the state government, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) permitted three crew members to disembark under the supervision of two immigration officers. The ship finally docked at the port on 15 October and received a rousing reception from the state government in the presence of numerous dignitaries and a crowd of over 5,000.

Similarly, the second ship, named Zhen Hua 29, left Shanghai for Vizhinjam port on 24 October and reached the offshore on 10 November, obtaining immigration clearance after four days.

About six more ships with cranes will arrive before February, with each vessel requiring a separate permit.

32-Crane Order

Vizhinjam Port authorities have placed an order for eight Rail Mounted Quay Cranes and 24 Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes from the Shanghai-based company Zhenhua Port Machinery Company Limited.

On the other hand, the Quay crane is a large dockside gantry crane found at container terminals for loading and unloading containers to and from container ships.

The Quay cranes to be employed at Vizhinjam port are of Super Post Panamax size, currently the world’s largest container crane size. These cranes will have a 65-tonne lifting capacity, enabling them to handle ships of Super Post Panamax size or 22 containers wide.

Eight more ships will call at Vizhinjam port with container cranes required for the under-construction port in the coming days, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated a reception for the first project cargo vessel at Vizhinjam.

The Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, which is building the port, is hopeful of completing the much-touted and delayed international container transshipment port at Vizhinjam by May 2024.