From protest to prosperity: Vizhinjam port offers new hope for local youth

Thiruvananthapuram: 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.