PORTS IN TODAY’S TRANSPORT PHILOSOPHY

Ports in today’s transport philosophy

Güler Bilen Alkan

Istanbul University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Maritime Transport and Management Engineering, Istanbul, TURKEY

Abstract

The two traditional and primary  users of seaports are the  shipping  companies and traders. Shipping companies are mostly concerned with reliable, competitive and quickest possible turn-round of their vessels; whereas the traders’ concern is for the safe and due delivery of their goods. Ports provide many  numbers of services for their customers in the form of handling of and supplying for ships; shipment,  storage,  discharging  and  forwarding  operations  for  cargoes, embarking and disembarking for passengers. Ports earn income by charging port users for the use of their facilities and  services. Port  users are, inter alia, ship owners (or ship managers), shipping and forwarding agents, cargo owners and passengers. Ports are subject to fierce competition of other neighbouring or regional ports, domestic or foreign in character, depending upon of course the management philosophy. In this study the ports are examined ports in view of present transport philosophy.

Keywords:  Maritime transportation, seaports, shipping service, international shipping, multimodal transport