Answer: (d)

Explanation:
The Vizhinjam International Seaport represents a major structural shift in India's maritime logistics strategy, primarily because of its role as a deep-water transshipment hub. Its natural deep draft allows large mother vessels to dock, which reduces India's dependence on foreign transshipment ports such as Colombo, Singapore, and Klang. This helps retain shipping revenue within India and strengthens its position in regional maritime trade networks.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Vizhinjam is not an exclusively domestic cargo hub; it is specifically designed for international transshipment and global shipping integration, and it involves significant foreign collaboration in its development and operations.

Statement 2 is incorrect: the port is not primarily focused on passenger cruise tourism or heritage shipping. While cruise tourism may be a supplementary activity, the core objective is container transshipment and cargo handling, not tourism branding.

Statement 3 is correct: Leveraging natural depth and location advantage to reduce dependence on foreign ports, improve logistics efficiency, and reposition India in global shipping routes.