Visakhapatnam Port is one of the largest cargo handling ports in India. It can accommodate 150,000 DWT vessels. The port can handle 100 million tonnes of cargo and also a cape size vessel in the outer harbour. The fishing harbour at Visakhapatnam Port is one of the biggest in the coastal corridor of Andhra Pradesh and also exports seafood
Visakhapatnam Port is one of 13 major ports in India and the only major port of Andhra Pradesh. It is India's third largest state-owned port by volume of cargo handled and largest on the Eastern Coast. It is located midway between the Chennai and Kolkata Ports on the Bay of Bengal.
Visakhapatnam Port has three harbours – the outer harbour, inner harbour and the fishing harbour. The outer harbour has 6 berths capable of handling vessels with a draft up to 17 meters while the smaller inner harbour has 18 berths that are Panamax compatible. Vizag Seaport owns two berths in the inner harbour; berth EQ-8 is fully mechanised and berth EQ-9 berth is not.
The Dolphin's Nose Hill to the north of the entrance channel protects the harbour from cyclones that strike the east coast. The port is located on the area of a creek through which the coastal river Narava Gedda joins the sea.
Visakhapatnam district is primarily maritime district and large scale of coastal fishery is depending on fishing activity for their livelihood. The fisheries sector aims at exploitation of all the possible water resources under capture and culture fisheries for increasing fish production and productivity through sustainable development. The sector is contributing considerably for, food security, nutrition and health, lively hood security to rural population besides export earnings and welfare of fishers. Recognizing the importance of fisheries sector, it has been identified as growth engine for economic development based on an evaluation of potentials of sectors to build on accumulated strength, to make significant impact on Gross State Domestic Product, and to exploit opportunities created by global trends.
