Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 (IANS): The Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd, managed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), on Thursday welcomed its 100th commercial vessel named MSC Michela, within just six months of its being operationalised.

It is a significant milestone in India's efforts to become a global transhipment hub.

On this milestone, Karan Adani, Managing Director of APSEZ, said that the arrival of MSC Michela, the 100th commercial vessel to dock at Vizhinjam Port in under six months, "is another milestone in India's rapid emergence as a global transhipment hub".

"With automated container handling, this new port in Kerala is a forerunner of our drive towards leveraging state-of-the-art technology in ports and logistics," he posted on X.

Vizhinjam port was developed by APSEZ in partnership with the Kerala government. It is the country’s first transhipment port near Kovalam Beach in Kerala.

Vizhinjam port's first phase was operationalised in July this year, and has a 3,000-metre breakwater and 800-metre container berth ready.

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.

Meanwhile, Adani Ports cumulatively handled 36 million metric tonnes of cargo last month, driven by higher container volumes.

For the YTD (year-to-date) period ending November, the port operator managed 293.7 million metric tonnes of cargo, marking a 7 per cent increase in cargo volumes on a YOY basis.

APSEZ's net profit surged 42 per cent at Rs 5,520 crore in the first half of this fiscal (H1 FY25), compared to Rs 3,881 crore in the same period last fiscal (H1 FY24).

The company's operating revenue surged by 13 per cent YoY to Rs 14,627 crore in H1 FY25, as ports revenue alone increased by 11 per cent to Rs 12,824 crore.