From Ibn Battuta to Vizhinjam: How Kerala plans to revive historic waterways

Way back in the 14th century, explorer Ibn Battuta travelled by a vanchi (boat) from Kozhikode to Kollam. The journey took 10 days. Later in the 19th century, a canal was constructed to link the lakes in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, completing the north-south route in 1880.

It helped people reach Shoranur railway station where the railway line was in place at that time. Prominent people like Swami Vivekananda and Viceroy Lord Curzon had sailed down the waterway to reach Thiruvananthapuram.

It also became a popular route to transport imported goods from Britain and move produce from the hills to the ports, mostly Kodungallur, Alappuzha and Kollam. Until trains and cars arrived, rivers, lakes and canals were the fastest way to move people and cargo in Kerala before they eventually fell into disuse.After almost a century of neglect, the state govt is now working to revive the smaller ports and waterways and interlink them to be used to move cargo and to offer tourists an experience of the way people travelled in the olden days.In his budget speech on Friday, chief minister V D Satheesan, who also handles the finance portfolio, spoke about converting the state into a port city and a global maritime hub.

The plan includes Mission Samudra to make Kerala a global maritime power in five years by integrating 600km coastline, two international seaports, 17 non-major ports and a container transshipment terminal with road, rail, sea and inland waterway networks; a policy to develop four primary non-major ports — Vizhinjam-Kovalam, Kollam, Beypore, Azhikkal — by promoting freight transport, port-led industries and logistics; and building a phased water transport network linking major and minor ports, adding passenger services and integrating with inland water bodies.

Vision 2031It is ambitious and is fraught with challenges, experts say. But it only reiterates what is already included in the Vision 2031, released by the second Pinarayi Vijayan govt in Oct 2025, without spelling out how to implement it. Vision 2031 is a wide-ranging effort to consolidate and evaluate the gains of social and economic development in the state and to formulate new policies and create new perspectives for the future, to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the state.Vision 2031 aims to make Kerala a smart, connected, and eco-friendly port and inland water transport hub by modernizing infrastructure, boosting logistics with digital tech, expanding clean coastal/backwater mobility and ensuring community-inclusive growth.

Sources said that land needs to be acquired and people need to be convinced because at least in the south there is no port-led ecosystem. The govt is also planning to set up a shipyard to build and maintain motherships near Vizhinjam.“There is no port city in the south. This means, we must take that extra effort to bring in that linked development,” said a state govt official.Yet, the chief minister has spelt out his vision on the Kerala Maritime Board. It includes interlinking small and large ports, shifting cargo movement from trucks to ships or boats, developing feeder ports and promoting cargo movement through inland waterways and operating boats to offer a different experience for tourists.Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Kerala chairman Joseph M Kallivayalil said the announcements are positive as the cost of transport will come down drastically. “The coastal cargo traffic plan is an excellent idea. We are trying to tell the govt to have a roll-on-roll-off system so that the trucks will not be affected,” he said.Regarding shipbuilding, focus is needed to have ancillary units, he said.Funds and large land banks can be a challenge, but the state can get money from Centre, which is already developing inland waterways, he said.Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce president S N Raghuchandran Nair said that any development in shipping would be good. “But it should not harm tourism,” he said.Nevertheless, the move is in the right direction because congested roads are a hindrance as Vizhinjam Port is set to start gateway cargo operations. There is a move to use the north-south inland waterway to transport repackaged cargo.Though a large part of the inland waterways, including the tunnel at Varkala, has been revamped and more work is going on, attempts to refurbish the 17 minor ports and launch coastal cruises failed to take off.Kottayam port on the inland waterway is a success while Azhikkal is being developed as a greenfield port by Malabar International Ports and SEZ.Land acquisition, need for dredgers, boats and ships are bottlenecks. Kerala Maritime Board will build boats for passengers and regional cargo at Ponnani. If work starts in time, the boats will be ready by 2028, when Phase 2 of Vizhinjam Port is completed. The state govt should by then set up warehouses to repackage goods.Meanwhile, the fishing community is not very excited about the entire development. Kerala Matsyathozhilali Aikyavedi president Charles George said plans to interconnect ports ignore how increased north-south ship traffic would affect 20,000 fishing vessels operating east-west, threatening fish workers’ livelihoods. “These decisions are made without consulting the community, even as protests continue against the Centre’s blue economy proposal.”