<h3 data-path-to-node="3" style="font-family: "Google Sans", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">THIRUVANANTHAPURAM</b> — <b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="21" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs Grants Key Regulatory Approval, Transforming India’s Deepwater Transshipment Port into a Full Gateway Hub</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="4" id="p-rc_07a314887943c562-115" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">In a major milestone for South Asian maritime trade and Indian logistics, Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram Limited (VISL) confirmed that it has received official notification from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) granting final clearance for full Export-Import (EXIM) cargo operations. <span class="citation-208 citation-end-208" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Beginning August 18, 2026, the deepwater facility will formally transition from operating exclusively as an international transshipment terminal into a full-fledged international cargo gateway.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_07a314887943c562-116" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-207 citation-end-207" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The operational milestone will be officially marked on August 18 when Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan flags off the first commercial export container from the terminal.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-206" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The inauguration will coincide with the launch of the state government’s flagship </span><b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="257" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">"Mission Samudra"</b><span class="citation-206 citation-end-206" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> business summit, a strategic initiative designed to integrate port-led industrialization, warehousing, inland waterways, and multimodal hinterland rail links across Southern India.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="5" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><h4 data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: "Google Sans", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="6" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Customs Guidelines & Handling Parameters for Phase-1 EXIM</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">According to the official regulatory order issued by the CBIC, EXIM operations will be governed by structured operational protocols while off-dock Container Freight Stations (CFS) complete final commissioning:</p><ol start="1" data-path-to-node="8" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Import Protocols (Direct Port Delivery):</b> Import clearance is currently restricted to Full Container Load (FCL) shipments eligible for Direct Port Delivery (DPD). To maintain high yard gate velocity, DPD containers must be evacuated directly from the port terminal gates to the importer’s manufacturing or storage facility within 48 hours of discharge.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Export Protocols (Direct Port Entry):</b> Outbound EXIM traffic will operate under Direct Port Entry (DPE) guidelines, restricted to factory-stuffed, self-sealed FCL containers. Loose cargo, Less-than-Container Load (LCL) consolidation, and containers requiring physical de-stuffing will be prohibited at the port quayside until attached off-dock CFS terminals become fully operational.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Multi-Agency Operations Grid:</b> Customs regulation and security clearances will run through a synchronized multi-agency portal involving VISL, Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), the Port Health Organisation (PHO), the Bureau of Immigration, and the Coastal Police.</p></li></ol><h4 data-path-to-node="9" style="font-family: "Google Sans", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Bypassing Overseas Hubs and Driving Regional Trade Growth</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="10" id="p-rc_07a314887943c562-117" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-205 citation-end-205" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Developed as a landmark public-private partnership (PPP) between the Government of Kerala and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), Vizhinjam is South Asia’s first fully automated container port and India’s premier deep-sea transshipment facility.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="6" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-204 citation-end-204" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Situated barely 10 nautical miles from the primary East-West international shipping channel, the port features a natural draft of up to 20 meters, allowing ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) exceeding 24,000 TEU capacity to dock without costly dredging or detour delays.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="7" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="11" id="p-rc_07a314887943c562-118" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-203 citation-end-203" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Having already processed over 2 million TEUs of transshipment volume within its first 18 months of commercial trial operations, the opening of direct gateway EXIM flows eliminates the historic need for regional manufacturing hubs in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to route gateway cargo through foreign transshipment ports such as Colombo, Singapore, or Jebel Ali.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="8" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="12" id="p-rc_07a314887943c562-119" style="font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-202 citation-end-202" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Industry trade groups and regional export councils estimate that direct international calls at Vizhinjam will reduce ocean freight timelines for South Indian exporters by 3 to 5 days and slash land-to-sea transit costs, providing a crucial competitive edge to local agricultural, textile, seafood, and light engineering sectors.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="9" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></sources-carousel-inline></p>
Vizhinjam International Seaport Secures Final Customs Clearance to Begin Full EXIM Cargo Operations from August 18
The operational milestone will be officially marked on August 18 when Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan flags off the first commercial export container from the terminal. The inauguration will coincide with the launch of the state government’s flagship "Mission Samudra" business summit, a strategic initiative designed to integrate port-led industrialization, warehousing, inland waterways, and multimodal hinterland rail links across Southern India.
