<p data-path-to-node="3"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0">THIRUVANANTHAPURAM</b> — In a historic operational feat that firmly cements India’s presence on the premier global transshipment stage, the Adani-operated Vizhinjam International Seaport has established an all-time national handling record by completing a staggering 17,262 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container exchange during a single port call of the Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) <i data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="392">MSC Loreto</i>.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">The gargantuan exchange surpasses previous subcontinental records, highlighting the deepwater transshipment gateway's ability to berth, service, and turn around the world’s largest container giants with tier-one operational velocity.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">The <i data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="4">MSC Loreto</i>, measuring 399.9 meters in length, 61.3 meters in beam, and carrying a nominal capacity of 24,346 TEUs, berthed at Vizhinjam’s Container Berth 2 (CB2) drawing near-maximum operational drafts. Benefiting from the port's natural 20-to-24-meter deep draft basin, the vessel navigated into position without tidal restrictions or draft trimming.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">Terminal operating teams deployed Vizhinjam’s full array of automated ship-to-shore (STS) rail-mounted gantry cranes alongside high-speed automated yard cranes (ARMGs), maintaining uninterrupted multi-crane productivity to discharge and reload regional feedered containers alongside European and East Asian long-haul transshipment boxes.</p><h6 data-path-to-node="8"><b>Automation and High-Velocity Quayside Operations</b></h6><p data-path-to-node="9">Terminal management and maritime engineers on site noted that processing 17,262 TEUs on an ultra-large vessel requires seamless coordination across automated quayside equipment and digital yard architectures:</p><ul data-path-to-node="10"><li><p data-path-to-node="10,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Automated STS Crane Velocity:</b> The quay was manned by automated twin-lift and tandem-lift STS cranes executing precision moves per hour, synchronized dynamically through real-time optical scanning and vessel profiling systems.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="10,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Integrated Automated Yard Stacking:</b> Terminal tractors cycled between quayside berths and high-density yard blocks under algorithmic scheduling, eliminating yard-side bottlenecks and idling trucks.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="10,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Zero Contamination and Damage Control:</b> The operation maintained an unbroken safety index across complex multi-tier container restows, empty box repositionings, and refrigerated container transfers.</p></li></ul><h6 data-path-to-node="12"><b>Structural Realignment of Subcontinental Transshipment</b></h6><p data-path-to-node="13">Industry analysts and logistics strategists emphasize that the milestone marks a major step forward in India’s long-standing policy to repatriate international transshipment traffic. Historically, over 70% of Indian transshipment cargo has relied on foreign offshore transshipment gateways such as Colombo, Singapore, Port Klang, and Jebel Ali. This dependency has routinely subjected Indian exporters and mainline shippers to extra feeder carriage legs, double-handling fees, foreign exchange outgo, and regional congestion delays.</p><p data-path-to-node="14">Vizhinjam’s proximity—located barely 10 to 12 nautical miles off the primary East-West international shipping superhighway connecting the Far East to Europe—combined with its natural deepwater advantage, allows global liner consortia to deploy their largest flagship vessels directly into Indian waters.</p><p data-path-to-node="15">With ocean carrier major Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) holding a substantial strategic and operational commitment in the port terminal through its Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) subsidiary, Vizhinjam has rapidly scaled its weekly calls. By facilitating large-scale hub-and-spoke feedering along the western and eastern Indian coasts as well as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the hub is consolidating critical mass.</p><h6 data-path-to-node="17"><b>Gateway Economics and Regional Transshipment Outlook</b></h6><p data-path-to-node="18">Senior port officials, state leadership, and maritime economists underscored that the 17,262 TEU single-call exchange sends an unmistakable signal to global alliances, including the Gemini Cooperation and Premier Alliance, ahead of upcoming network route realignments:</p><ul data-path-to-node="19"><li><p data-path-to-node="19,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="19,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Reduction in Transit Dwell Times:</b> Feeder operators shuttling between Tuticorin, Cochin, Chennai, Mangalore, and Mumbai can now interchange directly with European and Transpacific mainline loops at Vizhinjam, compressing transit timelines by three to four days.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="19,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="19,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Cost Competitiveness for Indian EXIM:</b> Eliminating transshipment legs through foreign ports reduces end-to-end supply chain costs by approximately $150 to $220 per container for domestic shippers, directly supporting Indian manufacturing competitiveness.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="19,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="19,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Phase-2 Expansion Acceleration:</b> In light of handling volumes accelerating ahead of initial master-plan forecasts and approaching designated Phase-1 thresholds, port administrators confirmed that civil expansion works on Phase-2—designed to expand total waterfront quayside and double stacking yard capacity—are progressing on an accelerated schedule.</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="20">Port authorities declared the successful turnaround of <i data-path-to-node="20" data-index-in-node="55">MSC Loreto</i> a testament to India's modern maritime engineering and logistics ambitions, solidifying Vizhinjam’s position as an indispensable deepwater megahub in South Asia.</p>