Only 40% of work completed as AVPPL misses deadline for finishing the project as announced in 2015

Dredging and reclamation for the International Multipurpose Deepwater Seaport at Vizhinjam, which came to a standstill after the Ockhi cyclone in November last and South West monsoon in June this year, is to resume in December.

Granite needed for the construction of the remaining portion of the 3.1-km-long breakwater has started reaching the project site with private suppliers moving 500 tonnes by road daily, much to the relief of the private multi-port operator tasked to build the superstructure and operate the seaport.

Also, the effort of Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd. (AVPPL), the private multi-port operator, to transport granite through sea via the Muthalapozhi harbour and Kollam port in bottom-opening barges is in the final phase. The Adani Group has managed to get clearances for self-quarrying from Kadavila, near Nagaroor, in the district.

The load jetty at Kollam is ready and the barges will ship granite to Vizhinjam from November end onwards, a top official of Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) told The Hindu. The one at Muthalapozhi with storage yards is under construction and will be ready by December.

The VISL says 600 tonnes of granite can be shipped through the sea to Vizhinjam in a barge at a time and two trips of the bottom-opening barges can be operated daily.

Availability of granite

The availability of granite is crucial for the construction of the breakwater beyond 600 m. The remaining 2.5-km critical portion of the breakwater is in deepwater zone that ranges from 16 to 20m. The quantity of granite needed there is 75 lakh tonnes. Over 8,000 of the 17,600 Accropode Version II, concrete blocks needed to protect the core of the breakwater from weather changes, had been cast despite the dredging and reclamation work being suspended.

As of now, only 40% of dredging and reclamation is complete. Seven million cubic metres of sand is needed for reclamation of 130 acres of sea for the container yard. The AVPPL is to give priority for the construction of the breakwater.

The AVPPL has missed the 1,000-day deadline it had announced to complete Phase I. September 1, 2018, was the target announced by Adani Group chairman Gautam S. Adani after the pact was signed with government in August 2015.