Keralam govt. grants in-principle nod for new fishing harbour at Vizhinjam
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Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks the Vizhinjam fishing harbour, with fishing boats and the Arabian Sea in the background, in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
The Keralam government has accorded in-principle administrative sanction for the construction of a new fishing harbour at Vizhinjam. The project comprises the development of the new fishing harbour and the construction of a breakwater to enhance the stability of the entrance to the existing Vizhinjam fishing harbour.
The first phase of the project will be implemented under Article 16 of the Concession Agreement entered into between the State government and AVPPL (Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had granted Environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for Phase I of the Vizhinjam International Seaport Project. The clearance, among other provisions, stipulated the development of an additional fish landing centre as part of the port project for the benefit of the fishing community.
According to a government order issued on Saturday (October 3, 2026), the completion of the new fishing harbour constitutes a specific commitment under the environmental clearance. Its construction has therefore been included as a funded work under the concession agreement and will be undertaken by the concessionaire as part of its contractual obligations.
As part of the project, physical wave model studies were conducted by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) following concerns raised by the fishing community and the Harbour Engineering department over the tranquillity conditions at the entrance to the existing Vizhinjam Fishing Harbour after the construction of the Vizhinjam seaport breakwater as part of Phase I works.
Based on the findings, the CWPRS recommended a new configuration for the fishing harbour. The State government subsequently approved the implementation of a revised Vizhinjam fishing harbour (Package I), including the construction of a 235-m breakwater, a 500-m L-shaped fishery berth, and associated ancillary facilities through AVPPL under the Funded Works provisions of the Concession Agreement.
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