Second Chinese ship carrying ship-to-shore crane for Vizhinjam port to arrive on Nov 9

Thiruvananthapuram: A second Chinese ship will be arriving at the international deep-sea facility in Vizhinjam here on November 9, sources at the port said on Wednesday.

The ship, Zhen Hua 29, would be carrying one ship-to-shore crane meant for Vizhinjam port and several yard cranes for Mundra port, the sources said.

The vessel is expected to arrive at the deep-water facility at around 8 am on Thursday.

After offloading the ship-to-shore crane, the vessel will leave for Mundra port in Gujarat, the sources said.

The first ship to arrive at the port, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 7,700 crore, was Zhen Hua 15 and it carried two yard cranes and a ship-to-shore crane for the deep-water facility.

All three cranes have been successfully offloaded and installed, the sources said.

The Vizhinjam port is being constructed under the public-private partnership model.

The Adani Group is the private partner in the development of what will become one of the largest ports in the world, once commissioned.

The project, scheduled to be commissioned in 2019, was delayed due to issues with land acquisition. Fishermen carried out violent protests opposing it, alleging that the port would adversely affect their livelihood.