Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 15 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday flagged in the first ship at the Vizhinjam transshipment port.

Chinese ship Zhen Hua carrying cranes berthed into the Vizhinjam port and was given the customary water salute by the tug boats that pulled it into the berth.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheeshan, Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, state Shipping and Ports Minister Ahmad Devarkovil, and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor were also present on the occasion.

The port will be commissioned in May 2024 but the government said that 75 per cent of the breakwater construction for the port is over.

When Zen Hua touched the berth, fireworks were let off.

Vijayan, in his address, said that the arrival of the first ship had proved that nothing was impossible for Kerala. He said that it was the realisation of long cherished dream and added that the port would be a major hallmark for the development of Kerala.

He also said that today was a proud moment not only for Kerala but for the entire nation.

The vessel, a mammoth container handling super post Panamax cranes and shore cranes, arrived at the port two days ago.

The Vizinjam transshipment port is a private-public partnership with the Adani group. It will be one of the largest ports in the world once it is commissioned.

There has been a political slugfest between the ruling Left Democratic Front and the opposition United Democratic Front on the credit for commissioning the port. However, it was late M.V. Raghavan, as Ports Minister in the 1991 UDF government led by K. Karunakaran, who had taken the initiative to provide sanction for the Vizhinjam project.

In his remarks, Satheeshan said that the late Chief Minister Oomen Chandy could never be forgotten while the ship is berthing at Vizhinjam. Muraleedharan said that the project has been completed due to the good governance of the Narendra Modi government.