Women break barriers at Kerala's Vizhinjam port

Operating massive cranes, nine women are working alongside their male counterparts in a traditionally male-dominated profession, breaking into yet another field long considered a male bastion.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Vizhinjam deep-sea port in Kerala is not only the country's mega transshipment terminal but also holds the distinction of employing women, particularly from the local fishing community, to operate its huge automated CRMG cranes.

Nine women are working alongside their male counterparts in a traditionally male-dominated profession, breaking into yet another field long considered a male bastion.

Since the fully automated Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry (CRMG) cranes are not present at any other port in India, the women at Vizhinjam are the first to operate such machinery in the country, according to a port official.

Of the nine women, seven hail from the nearby fishing community, which had staged extensive protests in 2022 against the seaport’s construction.

While all of them are BSc graduates, for most, this is their first regular income job.

Prinu, a 30-year-old BSc Chemistry graduate, had completed her BEd course and was planning to take up teaching when she landed the job as a CRMG crane operator.

Her father and husband are both fishermen, but their earnings from fishing are insufficient.

She then learned that the port was hiring crane operators, giving priority to local residents, particularly those from Vizhinjam, and to women.

"Everyone said that the job was guaranteed, so I applied and was selected as a fresher. I joined six months ago. There was a one-month training period, followed by a couple of months of supervised work. Now, I operate the crane independently," she told PTI.

Her earnings have provided a financial boost to her family, she said.

Describing her work, she explained that since the cranes are fully automated, handling containers arriving from ships and transferring them to the yard trucks is not particularly challenging.

"It becomes difficult when we have to manually pick up and load containers onto trucks. That part can be a bit challenging," she said.

Regarding the earlier protests, she clarified that the fishing community was not against the port.

"We protested only because some of our demands were not addressed. The people here wanted the port," she said, adding that she intends to continue in this field and will not return to teaching.

"This is not as hectic as teaching," she added.

There are 24 Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry (CRMG) cranes, or yard cranes, at Vizhinjam, available in various capacities and sizes to accommodate different container loads, ensuring swift, secure, and automated container handling, according to a port official.

Twenty people operate these cranes, including nine women, the official added.

While Prinu was a fresher, L Karthika, 27, had prior experience handling cranes.

Karthika, a native of Neyyattinkara, worked at a port in Kochi for a year before joining the Vizhinjam seaport in 2023. She holds a diploma in instrumentation and engineering.

"When I joined, there was nothing here. Initially, I was sent to Gujarat for a month of training, and by the time I returned, the cranes had arrived," she said.

She explained that she chose this job because it was closer to her husband’s home in Neyyattinkara and was fully automated.

As an experienced operator, Karthika has also trained some of the fresh recruits.

Describing her work, she said that most of the time, they monitor the CRMG cranes' operations, but sometimes they must intervene manually using joysticks at their desks in case of a malfunction.

The 20 crane operators work in two 12-hour shifts—8 am to 8 pm and 8 pm to 8 am—with adequate rest periods during working hours, she said.

The company provides shift-based transportation for workers, she added.

Karthika emphasised that the job has been a financial boost for the women recruits, many of whom were previously housewives.

According to port sources, the other women crane operators are S Anisha (29), L Sunitha Raj (35), D R Stefy Rebeira (30), R N Rajitha (36), P Asha Lakshmi (33), A V Sreedevi (37), and J D Nathana Mary.

The deep-water port has been developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s largest port developer and part of the Adani Group, under a public-private partnership model at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore.

The port received its commercial commissioning certificate on December 4 last year following a successful trial run.

The state government has stated that the Vizhinjam port will be commissioned as soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalises a date.

The port is expected to be fully operational by 2028 upon completion of its second, third, and fourth phases.