31 March - 06 April 2025

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Wilmington's Welcome

Should a gift be prepared? Trivandrum Port (TRV) has yet to establish such a custom. Port authorities did present gifts to the captain of the San Fernando, the first vessel to call at TRV, an event not forgotten. Yet, gifts often mark memorable, rare occasions globally. Recently, a captain was welcomed with a gift at America's Port of Wilmington. 'A plaque was presented to the captain of the ship to commemorate the historic call.'

The historic event warrants attention. For the first time in its century-long history, the port welcomed a 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessel. Local news channel WECT News 6 reported, 'It was a record-breaking weekend for the Port of Wilmington.' The port celebrated setting this record by welcoming the Zim Mount Rainier, a 15,000 TEU vessel operated by ZIM, an Israeli company, and presented the gift to the captain in recognition.

What gift, then, should TRV bestow upon the captain who brings the 24,368 TEU MSC Irina, the world's largest container vessel, to its berth? Suggestions from readers are welcome.

TRV's First Financial Year

With the financial year ending March 31st, 2025, Trivandrum Port’s (TRV) performance details have emerged. In the roughly nine months since operations began on July 11 2024, 242 vessels berthed. Handling 242 vessels over the period of 264 days might not seem exceptional. However, for a port primarily handling transshipment rather than gateway cargo (cargo originating or terminating locally), this figure should be viewed positively. These 242 vessels handled a total of 488,396 TEU. This averages roughly 2,000 TEU per vessel.

These figures of the past financial year reveal some interesting details. Of the 242 vessel calls, 144 involved domestic services connecting other Indian ports. The most frequent service (29 calls) was to or from Tuticorin. Services also connected India's west coast ports: Mundra (21), JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) (16), Kochi (16), Hazira (4), and Mangalore (2). Besides Tuticorin, India's east coast ports were also served: Haldia (17), Vizag (Visakhapatnam) (9), Kattupalli (8), Ennore (6), Paradip (6), Kolkata (5), Gangavaram (4), and Kakinada (1). The 98 foreign service calls primarily involved ports in China, Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, Togo, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, UAE, Pakistan, the UK, Panama, the US, and South Korea. As some ships departing TRV did not declare a destination port, these figures are not claimed to be completely accurate.

Nevertheless, with domestic service vessels accounting for 59.5% of the total calls (144 out of 242), a proportional estimate suggests they handled approximately 290,595 TEU. Precise figures have not yet been made available by any source. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had previously alluded to the benefit TRV could provide to India's Exim (Export-Import) community by enabling them to bypass foreign transshipment hubs. He noted in 2011: 'Transshipment of India-bound or outbound containers from these foreign ports involved an additional expense of $300 a container and an extra seven to 10 days in transit time.' This cost has likely increased since 2011. Even using the  \$300  figure, TRV may have already saved India's Exim community at least ₹7.5bn (₹750 crore) by handling this domestic transshipment volume.

It is questionable whether economic and planning experts have fully recognised this contribution. Furthermore, has the central government provided commensurate support to the port? Regardless, TRV continues to offer a service—beneficial to India and potentially the wider region—distinct from other Indian ports.

Methanol Gains Favour

Leading classification society DNV indicates that first-quarter figures show increasing acceptance of methanol as an alternative fuel. In March, methanol-fuelled ships led the new orders for alternative-fuel vessels each week. Of the 25 such vessels ordered within that single month, 12 were methanol-based. These orders comprised three cruise ships, three car carriers, one offshore vessel, one bulker, and the rest tankers. Out of 340 methanol-fuelled vessels ordered to date, 60 are already in service. This presents an opportunity for Kerala, currently a minor player in the marine fuel sector, to enter the bunkering market through TRV.

Nonetheless, considering orders placed over the past year, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled vessels remain the front-runners among alternative fuel options.

Giants Grace TRV

First Turkiye, then Irina. A series of calls by the world's largest container vessels is commencing at TRV. Although the MSC Irina ranks as the largest, the MSC Turkiye and the MSC Allegra (part of the Jade service) are also expected, with the Allegra arriving this week. With the MSC Irina expected by May, the opportunity to witness MSC's largest container vessels firsthand will soon be realised.

While specifications cited by various sources differ, a comparison suggests the MSC Irina leads in overall size based on length, capacity, and gross tonnage. (See table). Regardless, the arrival of these behemoths offers a chance to view vessels that previously sailed far from local shores.

Meanwhile, TRV has achieved another milestone. With the call of the MSC Diletta, the 246th vessel, the port surpassed the 500,000 TEU mark, having handled 501,847 TEU. TRV now aims for the one million and 1.5 million TEU milestones.

Shipping Lines Establish Presence

Ahead of the commencement of gateway cargo operations, several shipping companies have opened offices in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. In recent days, Samsara Shipping Pvt Ltd, Chakiat Shipping Services Pvt Ltd, Ancheril Agencies, and the Kerala Steamer Agents Association have begun operations there. The completion of MSC's office construction and the commencement of operations by MBK Shipping Co were reported earlier. Furthermore, full-scale customs operations are underway in the Port Utility Building situated near the port entrance.

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