Adani Ports to Develop 100-Acre Container Freight Station Near Vizhinjam Port, Kerala
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) is planning to build a 100-acre Container Freight Station (CFS) near Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The facility forms part of the port's longer-term expansion plan as it transitions from a pure transshipment hub to a full-fledged gateway port handling export-import (EXIM) cargo.
The CFS will support consolidation, storage, customs clearance, stuffing and de-stuffing, warehousing, cargo documentation and other value-added logistics services for containerised cargo moving through the port. According to a port official, construction of the facility will begin once EXIM operations at Vizhinjam pick up and stabilise.
The development follows the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) granting approval for full-scale EXIM operations at Vizhinjam Port, set to commence on August 18. Until the CFS is built, the port has been permitted to handle only inbound full-container-load shipments eligible for direct port delivery, with restrictions on loose cargo and shipments requiring de-stuffing.
Industry estimates suggest close to 30 per cent of container volumes at Vizhinjam will comprise EXIM cargo once gateway operations stabilise, with the remainder continuing as transshipment traffic. The proposed CFS is expected to support Kerala's manufacturing, seafood, agricultural and industrial exporters by providing dedicated inland logistics infrastructure.
The project aligns with APSEZ's broader strategy of building integrated port-led logistics networks by combining port infrastructure with inland freight facilities, and is expected to generate employment and stimulate economic activity around the Vizhinjam region.