Watch how the world’s largest container ship, MSC IRINA, docked at Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala on 9 June 2025, marking a historic first for Indian shipping.
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00:00This is the world's largest container ship, MSC Arena, which docked at Kerala's Viranjum
00:04International Seaport on 9 June 2025, a historic moment for Indian shipping and global trade routes.
00:10Did India just make maritime history? Well, this is the first time that a container ship
00:15of this magnitude has docked at an Indian port. And it sends out a loud message. Viranjum is
00:20firmly placed on the global shipping map. Flying the Liberian flag, MSC Arena was launched in March
00:252023 and embarked on its maiden voyage in April. Built to carry over 24,000 containers, MSC Arena
00:32holds the world record for the highest container capacity. At nearly 400 meters long, the vessel
00:37is the size of four football fields and stacks containers up to 26 tires high. Now, why India's
00:43Viranjum seaport? Now, Viranjum is the first such deep water port of its kind, which means
00:48that you have large ships like the MSC Arena, ultra-large container carriers which can pull
00:54in directly into port, can unload their cargo and sail off.
00:58Operated by Adani Ports in Sez Ltd, Viranjum is India's first mega-trans shipment hub and
01:04what gives it an edge over older Indian ports is its strategic location. Situated at the centre
01:09of India's coastline, it lies just 10 nautical miles from one of the busiest global shipping
01:13lanes connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia and Far East. And now the docking of MSC
01:19arena is more than just symbolic. It proves that Viranjum is capable of handling ultra-large
01:24container vessels. And that puts it in a direct competition with ports like Singapore, Colombo
01:30and Dubai. A country like India, which is said to become a very large economy by the end
01:35of this decade, will need more such ports like Viranjum, not just one Viranjum, probably
01:40two or three such ports, one on the west coast for instance and one on the east coast. In recent weeks,
01:45Viranjum has also seen arrivals from other large vessels like MSC Turkey and MSC Michel
01:50Capellini. But the arrival of MSC Arena is in a league of its own, both in scale and significance.
01:56Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, 2025, the port is now under close watch
02:02by global shippers and trade analysts. So now if you're looking at India becoming a trading hub,
02:06a power of consequence, a geo-economic power, it would need such ports that will handle very large
02:14container ships. And as India's container traffic continues to surge, Viranjum is poised to redefine
02:19the country's role in global logistics and trade.