UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates Capacity Augmentation Works of Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala

Q1. The original Concession Agreement for developing the Vizhinjam International Seaport on the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model was signed in which year?

  • A. 2015
  • B. 2011
  • C. 2024
  • D. 2020

Q2. In the context of the Vizhinjam Seaport concession, the 'DBFOT' model most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer — the private concessionaire designs, builds, finances and operates the asset and finally transfers it back to the government at the end of the concession
  • B. Design-Build-Fund-Own-Terminate — the concessionaire retains permanent ownership of all built assets
  • C. Develop-Bid-Finance-Own-Transfer — the government finances construction and later auctions the asset
  • D. Design-Build-Foreign-Operate-Transfer — a mandatorily foreign-owned entity must always operate the terminal

Q3. Under the PPP structure of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, which entity acts as the landlord that owns the port land and assets?

  • A. Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd, a Government of Kerala undertaking
  • B. Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd
  • C. Cochin Port Authority
  • D. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

Q4. The capacity augmentation works of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, inaugurated in January 2026, fall under the administrative purview of which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • B. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Q5. Which of the following are correctly identified as foreign ports that have handled a significant share of India's transshipment container cargo?

  1. Colombo
  2. Singapore
  3. Salalah
  4. Kolkata
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. Which one of the following is the flagship port-led development programme that forms a key pillar of the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047?

  • A. Sagarmala
  • B. Bharatmala
  • C. UDAN
  • D. PM Gati Shakti

Q7. Vizhinjam is classified as a non-major port; accordingly, its regulation and administration (as distinct from Major Ports) vests primarily in which authority?

  • A. The State Government of Kerala (through its maritime administration)
  • B. The Cochin Port Authority
  • C. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways directly
  • D. The Sagarmala Development Company Ltd

Q8. The 'MV San Fernando', received at Vizhinjam in July 2024, was described as the first 'mother vessel', marking India's first deepwater transshipment milestone. In this context, 'transshipment' most precisely means which one of the following?

  • A. The transfer of containers from a large mother vessel to smaller feeder vessels (or vice versa) at an intermediate hub port en route to their final destination
  • B. The direct carriage of cargo from the origin port to the destination port without any intermediate handling
  • C. The handling of only domestic coastal cargo moving strictly between two Indian ports
  • D. The permanent warehousing of import containers at the first port of entry