Vizhinjam port works hit again

Thiruvananthapuram: High waves over the last couple of days have caused damages to the steel and stone structure at the piling jetty of the deep water seaport under construction at Vizhinjam. The damage caused is learnt to be severe as the structure got detached from the main land.
According to information from Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), which is implementing the project along with Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), the jetty construction work has come to a standstill.The total damage is being ascertained, said the company sources.
As the sea became rough and the high waves, coupled with high velocity wind, hit the temporary structures with great force, the temporary platform being used to approach permanent structures, got dislodged. Contractors have evacuated workmen from the construction site to a safer place, but had to leave behind the construction equipment on the jetty, the sources said.
Though the company had been struggling with adverse conditions from the very start of the project because of non-availability of granite and damages to the dredgers and reclaimed land due to Cyclone Ockhi, the jetty construction work had been continuing at a good pace, the sources said.
“On July 15 and 16, strong wind from westerly directionshit the Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep area. Sea conditions became very rough with wave height going up to seven metres along the coast of Kerala from Vizhinjam to Kasaragod,” the sources said.
AVPPL has already requested for a 16-month extension from state government for completion of the project, which is now under consideration of VISL. Earlier, the AVPPL officials had hinted at a minimum two-month delay for the completion of the first phase of Vizhinjam port. As per the agreement, the first phase of the works has to be completed by December 2019.