Port Development

Introduction

Ports, like most other commercial activities, are constantly changing. Their design and
infrastructure change as the vehicles using them change and their functions develop and alter
as the trade passing through them varies in type and quantity.

Cargo-handling technology and changes in labour requirements and culture have also seen
radical developments.

In order to understand ports and to try to develop a general conceptual model for ports, it is
important to grasp the general pattern and causes of these developments and the solutions, good
or bad, attempted by various port managers.

In London these developments have been evolving over 2,000 years but other ports in other parts
of the world may have gone through the same process in just a few decades. As already stressed,
if this process of evolution can be analysed, then it will be easier to forecast future changes

Phases of Port Development

Many factors can cause ports to change, evolve or die:

— Changes in the inland transport infrastructure.

For instance, the coming of the railways tended to make large ports like London and Liverpool
larger and small ports smaller. Road transport had the opposite effect in the UK where the post-
Second World War motorways saw a revival in many of the country’s smaller ports. Many
would argue, however, that it was not the motorway in itself that attracted the ship owner to the
smaller ports, but that in the smaller ports the labour unions were less militant. However, the
development of large container ships has again encouraged the growth of large regional ports.

— Changes in trade patterns.

The UK joining the EU had a negative effect on Liverpool but a positive effect on Felixstowe as
the UK traded more with its EU partners and less with the old members of the Commonwealth.
Port analysts need to consider carefully the effect which the current trend of regional co-
operation in trade and industry will have on port growth.

— Changes in financial and logistical thinking.

London at its peak was an enormous warehouse for Europe. Since the Second World War the
tendency is not to store “things” but to use ports as industrial areas, such as Rotterdam. More
recently the trend has been to develop “value-added activities” and become a sophisticated
marketing and distribution centre, such as, for example, Hamburg or Bremen.

— Length of life.

Unlike ships, ports often have to last a long time, sometimes for centuries. They therefore have
to adapt

and change over the course of time. Many of the traditional British ports were developed and
built well over a century ago which means that many are now faced with a legacy of small
antiquated docks.

Why some ports become major ports

There are two main requirements for a port to achieve success:

1. A good natural harbour and deep water approaches, i.e. site considerations.

with Rotterdam, as with most large river deltas, silting was a major problem and the direction of
the channels was constantly changing. To try to stabilise the situation a canal was cut in 1830.
This attempt did not succeed but in 1870 the New Waterway was constructed to provide a direct
outlet to the sea. This was successful and formed the basis of the modern port of Rotterdam.
Amsterdam had an even greater problem when after the Second World War it lost the sea
altogether when the Zuider Zee was reclaimed.

2. A strong traffic-generating location, i.e. the port must be central to an area and on the way to a
meaningful destination.

The above two factors can be enhanced by human, corporate and government contrivance.

Swot analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)

A swot analysis is a useful way of assessing the potential development concerning a port’s
competitive edge and threats from rival ports in the area. The elements to be considered in such
an analysis will vary but such a list should include:

— Maritime accessibility, depth available and position on major trade routes.

— Amount of trans-shipment cargo it can attract and storage space and facilities.

— Logistics that provide value-added and available manufacturing industries.

— Activities of transport agencies and goods and rail distribution networks.

— Good well trained labour force and efficient servicing companies.

— Technology and communication systems.

— State of internal and external competition.

— Ability of port authority and political administrations.

— Costs.

Some other “wildcards” that can effect growth

Labour—for instance, the port of Colombo having turned itself into a transit port in the early
1980s had moved up the container port league table from 75th position in 1983 to 26th position in
1988. However, labour unrest (which often follows success) in the late 1980s caused a major
container line customer to pull out, and it was 1996 before the port was able to regain a similar
rating in the world port container league.

Exceptional bad weather—has also damaged many ports, many of which have been under-
insured and been unable to find the necessary capital to make good the damage.

Changes in cargo-moving technology—for instance, in the 1970s some ports made large capital
investments in terminals for the handling of LNG only to find a change of policy in some areas
to move the commodity by pipeline
The container age

Containerization
Is the practice of carrying goods in containers of uniform shape and [Link] is generally
accepted that intermodal transport, as we know it today, began with containerisation.
Types of containers
General purpose containers. These containers are generally 20” or 40”
• Reefer containers (refrigerated). Used for carrying perishable products
• Dry bulk containers. These are used for carriage of dry powders and granular substances in
bulk
• Open top/ open sided containers. These are built for heavy and awkward pieces of cargo.
• Liquid cargo containers. Are ideal for bulk liquids

• Hanger containers. They are used for the shipment of garments on hangers Other forms of
containers
• Fantainer. Similar to the general purpose container, this is equipped with a dual purpose sea
vent system. Ideal for a range of cargoes, its aim is to remove any respiratory heat developed by
the cargo and balance the internal container temperature with the temperature outside in order to
eliminate condensation
• Ventilated. This is similar to the general purpose container except for the inclusion of full
length ventilation galleries sited along the top and bottom side rails, allowing ventilation to the
cargo.
• Bin. With no doors this is ideal for heavy, dense cargoes such as steel pipes
• Sea vent This is capable of carrying moisture-sensitive cargo such as coffee and cocoa on one
journey and general cargo on the following journey

Containers brought with them other problems for port operators:

— The large investment necessary to containerise a route meant that liner ship owners had to
form themselves into larger financial units and hence were more powerful customers from the
point of view of the port.

— The increase in size and complexity of ships meant an increase in the cost of the ship’s time.
Also the cargo was now intermodal so the cargo started to move to the ship rather than the ship
to the cargo.

— Because the cargo was now intermodal, adjacent ports on the same land mass could now
compete with each other and the choice of port was, and often still is, in the hands of the large
multinational liner operator.

— There was a need for a comprehensive information system and greater efficiency.

— A significantly smaller but better trained work force was needed.

— Faster customs clearance, better documentation procedure and a review of much of the
country’s transportation law was required.
Other Technical Developments Affecting Ports

Effects of the computer on communications

• Container control—there are often discussions as to how many containers can reasonably be
handled by a manual system and many have argued that the figure lies between 50,000 to
100,000 per annum. Some would also argue that containerization as we know it today could not
have happened before computerization.

• Co-ordination of the activities of all the stakeholders involved in port activity.

• Security, safety and environmental protection.