First Export Ship Sails from Vizhinjam to Spain
MSC Beryl departs with the port's first export containers, bound for Valencia after a delay swapped it in for MSC Marie Leslie
Summary
MSC Beryl departed Vizhinjam International Seaport on 1 September 2026 with the port's first export consignment of eight containers bound for Valencia, Spain.
Vizhinjam International Seaport despatched its first export consignment on 1 September 2026, with the 366-metre container vessel MSC Beryl departing for Valencia in Spain.
The vessel carried eight export containers, made up of packaged food products from Thiruvananthapuram and seafood from Kochi. MSC Beryl is deployed on the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s Himalaya service and is expected to berth at Valencia in about 20 days. The consignment was moved to MSC Beryl after the originally scheduled vessel, MSC Marie Leslie, was delayed. Port officials said a temporary customs area is being used for direct container movement until a dedicated Container Freight Station becomes fully operational.
From construction project to working export gateway
The sailing follows the port’s formal entry into export-import trade. EXIM operations at Vizhinjam were flagged off by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on 20 August, who said the state government had held talks with a range of investors to identify opportunities to expand export-import activity at the port.
A day earlier, on 19 August, Ashwani Gupta announced an additional investment of ₹160 billion to raise the port’s capacity from 1.6 million TEUs to 5.7 million TEUs. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal joined state officials on 18 August for a ceremony marking the transition to full EXIM operations, which also launched the Mission Samudra development project.
Why eight containers matter
The volume moved is modest, but the departure is significant for Kerala’s exporters because it establishes a working export channel out of a deep-water port on the state’s own coast. Vizhinjam, developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, is built to handle large container vessels on the Arabian Sea coast. Its draft allows direct loading onto mainline vessels, removing the need for an intermediate transhipment leg.
Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry president S.N. Raghuchandran Nair has said exporters from Tuticorin, Tiruppur and Bengaluru have expressed interest in routing cargo through Vizhinjam, citing savings of roughly ₹75,000 per container.
The services now calling at Vizhinjam
MSC’s initial plan for Vizhinjam covers two services. The Himalaya Express links the port with Las Palmas, Sines, Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia Tauro. The India Africa Service connects it to ports including Coega, Pointe Noire, Abidjan, Tema, Lome, Cotonou and Kribi.