Indian Coast Guard gets dedicated jetty at Thiruvananthapuram’s Vizhinjam harbour

A state-of-the-art berth dedicated to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), spanning 76.7 metres, was inaugurated this weekend at the Vizhinjam harbour in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani.

The dedicated ICG jetty, which sits near the Vizhinjam International Seaport—a mere 10 nautical miles from key international shipping lanes—is of strategic importance, noted DG Sivamani.

The Director General also highlighted the importance of the new installation in “strengthening the coastal security architecture and ensuring faster response capabilities in the region.”

Commander, ICG Region (West), Inspector General Bhisham Sharma, senior officials from Vizhinjam International Seaport, the Government of Kerala, the Kerala Maritime Board, the Kerala State Police, Port Authorities, the Indian Army, Adani Ports, and the Fisheries Department were in attendance at the event.

The Centre, in a statement, lauded the ICG jetty as “cutting edge in safe berthing and swift deployment of surface assets”.

“The newly inaugurated berth with 76.70-meter length, 8-meter breadth and 4-6 meter depth can accommodate the present coast guard vessels held at Vizhinjam. The construction of the jetty was executed through the Harbour Engineering Department (HED) of the Kerala State Government and constructed by RTF Infra Pvt Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram,” it further stated.

The event comes mere weeks after the MSC Elsa 3 cargo ship, which left the Vizhinjam port, capsized near the Alappuzha coast after an accident. This had caused a few containers with “hazardous” substances to fall into the sea, triggering a health scare and a temporary fishing ban.

Maritime