PM Modi inspects operations at Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram

T'puram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed at Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday morning by helicopter from the Pangode military station, inspected operations at the newly inaugurated port.
He first visited the berth where a giant container ship, MSC Celestino, was docked. With chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani standing close by, the Prime Minister listened and observed the nitty-gritty of the operations. He also posed for photos with the container ship in the background at the berth.
The entourage later moved to the operations building where Modi inspected the vessel traffic management system (VTMS). The staff gave a presentation on how ships are handled with the help of the indigenous technology and how safety is ensured at a port where huge ships sail in and out almost back-to-back.
Modi also visited the planning room and remote control operation desk where staff, mostly women, operate the cranes using consoles with joysticks. The 20 people trained at the port for the job move containers using ship-to-shore cranes and then stack them around the yard using yard cranes.
Modi also interacted with some of the staff before moving to the inauguration venue to attend the function at around 11am.