First mothership San Fernando calling at the Vizhinjam international seaport in Kerala on July 11.
On the morning of July 11, India’s first deep-water container transshipment port recorded the arrival of its maiden mothership from Xiamen Port in China, which was historic and it was a new beginning in country’s maritime history.
The Marshall Island-flagged container ship San Fernando, owned by SFL Corporation Ltd. And chartered by Maersk (AP Moller Group), Denmark, and managed and operated by Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, Singapore, (BSM), reached off the coast of Vizhinjam.
First mothership San Fernando calling at the Vizhinjam international seaport in Kerala on July 11.
Adani Port pilots boarded when she arrived at the entrance of the fairway leading to berthing point carrying 1,930 containers at around 7.45am. The vessel then steered through buoyed channel to enter into serene breakwater area inside the port. The ship then turned round before tugs pushed her to berth; mooring ropes were used throughout shipping operations.
Four tugs were pressed into service for bringing a ship alongside. Three tugs were engaged in pushing or pulling forward while aft is being pulled so as to turn round with bow outside and finally aligned with berth by tugs as they inched her to berth. Berthing also called for use of ships’ bow thruster along with power from main engine generating propulsion forces.
First mothership San Fernando calling at the Vizhinjam international seaport in Kerala on July 11.
The work was supposed to start around 2 p.m., when about 1930 containers would be unloaded from aboard.
It was treated with water salute
The ship also received a water salute from authorities at this end; after that it will leave for Colombo tomorrow (Friday) morning and the official reception of Kerala Government will be attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and others.
This is part of the ₹7,700-crore port project which one of the flagship infrastructure projects promoted by Kerala government in PPP mode with Adani Group. It started constructing on December 5, 2015.
The project was however delayed and missed several deadlines for various reasons. The trial run of the port will officially begin on July 12 before its revised scheduled commissioning in December 2024.
