Trivandrum Port, India’s first deepwater transshipment port, in figures.
Monthly throughput, cargo per ship call, berth use and turnaround, plus what is being built around the port. Updated 5 November 2026.
- TEU in October 2026, the best month so far
- 148,706
- vessel calls by June 2026
- 1,000
- million TEU Phase 2 target
- 5.7
Containers handled each month
TEU, November 2025 to October 2026. Three months have no checked figure yet and are left blank.
Source: Motherport News weekly reports. 148,706 TEU in October 2026 is the highest month in 28 months of operation.
More cargo on each ship call
Average TEU per vessel call. From 1,675 in April to 3,034 in October, as the main line handled more containers per ship rather than adding calls.
Calculated from monthly TEU and vessel calls, except April, September and October, which are as reported. Before September 2026, the usual range was 2,000 to 2,300 TEU per call, as reported. Only months with both figures are shown.
Berth utilisation
Percent of berth time in use
- Dec 25 92.12%
- Jan 26 93.25%
- Feb 26 92.23%
- Aug 26 95.8%
- Sep 26 77.59%
- Oct 26 91%
September fell to 77.59% because there were fewer calls.
Vessel turnaround
Average hours at berth per call
- Apr 26 21.4h
- May 26 24.3h
- Aug 26 28.06h
- Sep 26 28.59h
- Oct 26 27.38h
Turnaround rose from 21.4 hours in April as ships stayed longer to move more cargo.
Milestones
-
3 Dec 2024
Commercial operations begin.
-
FY 2025–26
About 1.296 million TEU across 607 vessels.
-
Jan 2026
123,092 TEU across 62 vessels, a record at the time. Phase 2–4 capacity works inaugurated on 24 January.
-
May 2026
Passes 2 million TEU cumulative, reported as the fastest Indian port to do so.
-
Jun 2026
1,000th vessel call.
-
Aug 2026
141,759 TEU in a month. The MSC Palak handled 11,011 TEU in one call, a record.
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Oct 2026
148,706 TEU across 49 vessel calls, the highest month in 28 months of operation.
-
Dec 2028 (target)
Phase 2 completion, with a capacity target of 5.7 million TEU.
What is being built around it
Different agencies plan and fund each piece. Figures are as reported.
Getting cargo out
A 10.7 km rail link from Vizhinjam to Balaramapuram, with a 9.43 km tunnel. Target: December 2028. Land acquisition is the main constraint. An Outer Ring Road and growth corridor to Navaikulam is also proposed.
Kollam and the southern coast
A 101 m Sagarmala berth at Kollam port, and Neendakara fishing harbour.
Kochi
Cochin Port and the Vallarpadam terminal, Cochin Shipyard, a planned ship repair facility and a proposed ship-block facility.
Beypore and Azhikkal
Draft improvement planned at Beypore. Azhikkal is planned as a greenfield port.
Inland waterways
National Waterway 3 from Kollam to Kottapuram is largely underused. Full operation is targeted by 2028.
Why the ecosystem matters
- A container that passes through on a mother vessel earns terminal revenue and creates few jobs.
- The wider economy appears only when services, links to the hinterland, industry and skills are built around the port.
- India still sends a large share of its transshipment cargo to foreign hubs. The port that builds its ecosystem fastest keeps the cargo.
Sources: Motherport News weekly reports (issues 47 to 94); Maritime Gateway; The Week (25 Jun 2026); India Sea Trade News; Indian Infrastructure (27 Jan 2026); Keralakaumudi. Several reports carry inconsistent dates and figures. We confirm them with the owning agencies during any assignment.