Weekly Exclusive Report from Trivandrum Port, Kerala - Issue #13
07 - 13 April 2025
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Bangladesh transshipment via TRV persists despite curbs
India has not entirely ceased facilitating Bangladesh's transshipment cargo, despite restricting transit through Indian territory following claims from Dhaka asserting exclusive custodianship over the regional waters. Last week, Bangladesh again utilised Trivandrum Port's (TRV) services. The MSC Eyra II, arriving from Colombo, used TRV's transshipment facilities before departing on April 9th 2025. The vessel is scheduled to berth at Chittagong port on April 14th 2025.
When Mohammed Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh's interim government, boasted during a visit to China his country held exclusive custodianship of the Indian Ocean, the fallacy of this claim was highlighted during the sailing commentary (a visual version of this newsletter). It was pointed out that India possesses ports and routes in the Bay of Bengal enabling Exim (Export-Import) trade without reliance on Bangladesh. Details of approximately 17 services that operated between Chittagong port and TRV were also presented. The voyage of the Eyra II serves as the latest example.
The ban imposed by India, prompted by Mr Yunus's statement, applies specifically to the use of India's land and air routes for freight movement originating from Bangladesh destined for third countries via Land Customs Stations (LCSs). This aligns with Circular No. 13/2025-Customs, issued on April 8th 2025 by India's Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), which rescinded the previous allowance (Circular No. 29/2020) for such transshipment via LCSs. The ban primarily affects cargo transit to Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Whether this prohibition will extend to maritime transshipment services involving TRV remains to be seen in the coming days.
Berth constraints highlight past design oversights
As this report is written, the MSC Allegra (399.77m x 61.04m), one of the world's largest container vessels, has anchored approximately 10.5 nautical miles offshore from Trivandrum. Simultaneously, another global giant, the MSC Turkiye (399.8m length), occupies a berth, discharging cargo. Those who foresaw decades ago that TRV's total berth length of only 800 metres would be insufficient to accommodate two near-400-metre vessels concurrently are now recalling those warnings.
During 2013-14, representatives from VMAC (Vizhinjam Motherport Action Samithi) directly presented concerns, including the inadequacy of TRV's design, to Kerala's then-Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy. His promise to convene a meeting to study the issues never materialised before his term concluded. The same concerns were raised at a meeting called by the then-KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) president, VM Sudheeran. At that meeting, attendees including the then-Managing Director of VISL (Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd) reportedly manoeuvred to have those presenting the issues physically intimidated.
The MSC Allegra's AIS (Automatic Identification System) recorded its arrival offshore from TRV at 20:29 on April 9th 2025. It could only be berthed after waiting approximately 26 hours for MSC Turkiye to unberth. Had the 800-metre berth design been extended, even to 1000 metres, this bottleneck could have been avoided. Having vessels from MSC's premier Jade service waiting offshore does not reflect well on any port. History will likely hold accountable those whose decisions led to this situation.
MSC Details New Trivandrum Office
MSC has published the address and contact details for its new office at Trivandrum Port. This newsletter previously reported that the final construction work on the new office building was underway. The official details were announced recently.
MSC Agency India Pvt Ltd, Trinity Heaven, Opposite Bank of India, Poovar Vizhinjam Road, Trivandrum 695021
Phone: +91 471 6101600
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:45
Port coexists with fisherfolk, countering past fears
Remember the protests, lasting around 140 days, against the construction of Trivandrum Port? An individual actively involved in those protests recently interviewed this writer for academic purposes.
Question: The first phase of operations is complete. Will the subsequent phases cause any difficulties for the fishing community?
Answer: Over 250 vessels, including some of the world's largest, have already called here. Has the fishing community experienced any hardship so far?
The interviewer expressed great surprise: "Have 250 ships really called already?" This astonishment was telling; even those involved in the anti-port protests were unaware of the scale of operations. The initial campaign against the port claimed that the very first vessel's arrival would block fisherfolk's livelihoods, prevent them from working, and force them to abandon the coast en masse. Such fabricated stories were used to turn the fishing community and their families against the port. It has now become clear to everyone that these claims were unfounded. While other aspects of the protest period were discussed, the interviewer's sheer surprise at the "250 ships" figure seemed particularly noteworthy.
The interview concluded by assuring the questioner that the current state of coexistence, where both the fishing community and ships utilise the sea, is expected to continue as the project's remaining phases are completed.
Breakwater Construction Progress Queried
Film actor Nandu, a consistent supporter of the efforts behind Trivandrum Port, keeps a watchful eye on the facility during his travels, often sharing videos and photographs.
He recently had the good fortune to capture an aerial photograph while the MSC Turkiye, one of the world's largest container vessels, was berthed. However, another detail in the picture caught the attention: at the end of the breakwater, currently completed to 3100 metres, does construction appear to have resumed? The tip, where Accropode armour units are not yet placed, creates this impression. A definitive answer regarding the total length achieved by the breakwater so far is still awaited. With environmental clearance secured for the final phase, such construction activities are likely to proceed rapidly.
Upcoming Jade Service Vessels Detailed
The next vessel scheduled for MSC's Jade service is the MSC Apolline, expected to arrive on April 17th. The Apolline departed from Singapore on April 12th.
With dimensions of 399.77 metres in length and 61.04 metres in width, the Apolline is currently sailing with a draught of 14.6 metres. It will call at TRV after visiting the ports of Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, and Singapore.
Notably, the MSC Allegra, which arrived with a 14.7-metre draught, departed TRV with its draught increased to 16.7 metres. This indicates that the vessel, with a gross tonnage of 228,786, loaded sufficient cargo at TRV to deepen its draught by two metres.
Following the Apolline, the subsequent MSC Jade service vessels scheduled to call at TRV are, in order: Arina, Celestino Maresca, Raya, Nela, Febe, Leni, and Irina.
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