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Thousands of people will be present at the country's trans-shipment port, the Adani Group's Vizhinjam Port located near the famed Kovalam beach, at 10 a.m. on Friday as it receives its first mothership, Kerala Minister V.N. Vasavan said on Tuesday.  

Vasavan said it is going to be a historic day for the state as the first phase of the port is ready.

Present on the occasion would be Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) Managing Director Karan Adani.

"This port will be the country’s biggest and globally it will be ranked 6th or 7th. At the moment a 3,000-metre breakwater and 800-metre container berth are ready. Of the 32 cranes required, all but one have come. A 1.7 km approach road for connectivity is almost complete, while the office building, security area and the electric lines are all ready," Vasavan said.

"The first mother ship is coming with around 2,000 containers. After that smaller ships with cargo will also be arriving and it will be a regular feature from then," he added.

Among the other features of this port is that it is the first semi-automated container terminal in the country and will also be a global bunkering hub, supplying clean and green fuels like hydrogen and ammonia. Full-fledged commercial operations in the port are slated to begin in a few months.

Vasavan also said that the second and third phase of the project is planned to be completed in 2028 and it will be one of the greenest ports in the world. The port is also strategically located as it is just 10 nautical miles from the International Shipping Route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East.