Port

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Port of Miami

A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo. They are usually situated at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. Ports often have cargo-handling equipment such as cranes (operated by longshoremen) and forklifts for use in loading/unloading of ships, which may be provided by private interests or public bodies. Often, canneries or other processing facilities will be located very close by. Harbour pilots , barges and tugboats are often used to safely maneuver large ships in tight quarters as they approach and leave the docks. Ports which handle international traffic will have customs facilities.

The terms "port" and "seaport" are used for ports that handle ocean-going vessels, and "river port" is used for facilities that handle river traffic, such as barges and other "shallow draft" vessels. Some ports on a lake, river, or canal have access to a sea or ocean; they are sometimes called "inland ports". A "fishing port" is a type of port or harbor facility particularly suitable for landing and distributing fish. A "dry port" is a term sometimes used to describe a yard used to place containers or conventional bulk cargo, usually connected to a seaport by rail or road.

Cargo containers allow for efficient transport and distribution by eliminating the need for smaller packages to be loaded individually at each transportation point, and allowing the shipping unit to be sealed for its entire journey. Standard containers can just as easily be loaded on a ship, train, truck, or airplane, greatly simplifying intermodal transfers. Cargo often arrives by train and truck to be consolidated at a port and loaded onto a large container ship for international transport. At the destination port, it is distributed by ground transport once again.

Ports and shipping containers are a vital part of modern Just in Time inventory management strategies.

Ports sometimes fall out of use. Rye, East Sussex, England was an important port in the Middle Ages, but the coastline changed and it is now 2 miles from the sea. Also in England London, on the River Thames, and Manchester, on the Manchester Ship Canal, were once important international ports, but are no longer so.

Ports and the Economy

According to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), U.S. ports and waterways handle more than 2 billion tons of domestic and import/export cargo annually. By 2020, the total volume of cargo shipped by water is expected to be double that of 2000 volumes. American ports play a vital role in handling international cargo; they are responsible for moving over 99 percent of the country's overseas cargo.

Ports handle a wide variety of goods that are critical to the global economy, including petroleum, grain, steel and containerized goods. The automobile industry relies on the ability of ports to deliver their products. Reports from individual ports indicate that approximately 4.6 million automobilies (imports and exports) passed through American ports in 2006.

As more American businesses engage in international trade, ports will continue to grow. Small businesses, which the U.S. Small Business Association says are the engine of America's financial growth, account for 97 percent of companies that that export. American workers producing for export earned 15 percent higher wages and received 11 percent higher benefits than employees in non-exporting companies. According to the Small Business Association, 24 million small businesses account for 99.7 percent of all employers, and they are engaging in international trade in record numbers.

In addition to handling goods from all over the world, ports also play a key role in creating jobs and boosting the economy. For every $1 billion in exports, about 15,000 port jobs are created. The figure swells to 30,000-45,000 when taking into account jobs to support the new products and personnel (such as new construction, restaurants, etc.)

A five-day work stoppage would have a nationwide economic impact of nearly $4.7 billion, including a loss of 15,100 jobs, according to Dr. John Martin, president of Martin Associates, a business consulting service. Dr. Martin, who holds a doctorate in economics from George Washington University, is widely regarded as a leader in port economic impact studies.

According to an August 2007 report from Dr. Martin [1], American ports employed nearly 8.4 million people either directly or indirectly. Of this total, 1.4 million were employed in providing goods and services to ports (such as longshore, stevedore and security personnel). The remaining 7 million were employed in import- and export-related activities (such as transportation, warehousing and distribution]. Port activities were also responsible for bringing in $102.8 billion in total federal, state and local taxes in 2006.

For summary of port-sector econonic impacts study statistics, performed by Martin Associates, Lancaster, Pa., August 2007, click on [2]

Major ports

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Ports and the Economy

Major ports

See also

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