Question

Which one of the following is the important export from Visakhapatnam port?
A. Crude
B. Petroleum
C. Fertilizers
D. Iron Ore

Answer 1

Hint: Visakhapatnam Port’s hinterland extends to north eatern Andhra Pradesh, southern Odisha, Chhattisgarh. By volume of cargo handled it is India’s third largest state owned port.

Complete answer:
Iron ore is the most important export from the Visakhapatnam port. The main cargos which are handled in this port are - iron ore, manganese ore, steel products. Two important steel plants fall under the proximity of the Visakhapatnam port, these are - Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh and Rourkela steel plant in Odisha.

There are a total of 13 major ports in India and Vizag is the only major port present in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Vizag is also the largest port on the eastern coast of India. It is located between the Chennai and the Kolkata ports. The Vizag port was opened on 19th december 1933 and it is operated by the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, it was inaugurated by Lord Willingdon. The owner of the Vizag port is the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

It is under the Major Port Trusts Act of 1963 that Visakhapatnam Port Trust has been put incharge of running the port.

The three harbours present in the port are - outer, inner and the fishing harbour. There are a total of 24 berths in the port which handles an annual traffic of around 65 million tonnes.. Cyclones that strike the east coast do not affect the Vizag port because of the Dolphin’s Nose Hill to the north of the entrance channel.

Therefore the correct answer is option (D).

Note: A new port has come up only 15 km away from the Vizag port and it is known as the Gangavaram port. This new port has helped a lot in the diversion of traffic from the Vizag port.