Elements of Port Operation and Management

by Alan Branch

Overview

Since the publication of my books Elements of Shipping and more recently Economics of Shipping Practice and Management, both selling in over 130 countries, I have received numerous requests both from home and abroad for a companion volume on seaports. This book has been written to provide a practical, overall understanding of the elements of port operation and management of a competitive,~profitable port authority. It reflects the author's many years of experience in port and ship management, international trade and education. It deals in simple language with the role and function of seaports in a trading pattern, port investment criteria, port tariffs, free ports and free trade zones, port traffic control, budgetary control and marketing, port management structure and dock labour, computerization, cargo-handling equipment, the eco­ nomics of port design, the role of port cargo-handling organizations, the economics of international trade, finance of international trade, and many other aspects of this extensive subject. The import­ ance of complete professionalism in all areas of port practice as a means of providing the viable, high quality service required to sustain and expand international trade cannot be overemphasized. This book will help towards establishing that professionalism. The material assembled here is intended not only for students preparing for seaport examinations, but also for persons employed in port authorities. In short, it is an aide-memoire to those engaged in the industry throughout the world and may be regarded as 'the porr executive's handbook'.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789401083133
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	10/08/2011
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1986
Pages:	265
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

1 Role and function of seaports in the trading pattern of a nation.- Scope of book..- Function of seaports..- Factors determining the shipowner’s/shipper’s choice of port..- Future trends in international trade..- 2 Economics of international trade.- Function of international trade..- Survey of international trade..- Commodity trades..- Flow of manufactured goods..- Multinational companies..- Major trading areas of the world..- Preferential trading groups..- 3 Economics of port design and layout.- Influence of cost, construction and safety factors..- Factors determining berth layout..- Types of berth..- Port facilities..- 4 Cargo-handling equipment.- Factors determining type of cargo-handling equipment..- Conventional break-bulk handling..- Types of general cargo-handling equipment..- Unitized cargo-handling systems..- LASH (lighter aboard ship)..- Roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro) vessels..- Bulk handling systems for raw materials..- 5 Container-handling equipment.- Palletization — fork lift trucks..- Containerization..- Range of container-handling equipment..- Container lifters and movers..- Back-up systems..- Container cranes..- Stowage within the container..- 6 Free ports/free trade zones.- Features of free ports/free trade zones..- Advantages of free ports/free trade zones..- 7 Port investment criteria.- Economics of new and second-hand port equipment..- Methods of finance..- Factors determining port investment criteria..- 8 Port traffic control.- Port operations and communications centre..- Port traffic management..- Ship turn-round time in port..- Processing the consignment through the port..- Port operational planning..- 9 Port tariffs.- Theory of port tariffs..- Factors influencing the level of port tariffs..- Market pricing..- Port tariffs..- Customs entrycharges..- Miscellaneous charges..- Port authority rates and charges policies..- 10 Finance of international trade.- Export and import prices..- Payments on ‘open account’..- Bills of exchange..- Documentary credits and allied documents..- Transferable credits..- Back-to-back credits..- Revolving credits..- Red clause credits..- Acceptance credits..- Factoring..- Bank finance for exports..- Less common forms of trade..- Changing methods of payment..- 11 Port management structure and dock labour.- Size and scope of the port authority..- Port authority organization..- Dock labour..- 12 Budgetary control and marketing.- Revenue, expenditure and investment budgets..- Marketing..- Market analysis..- Market structure..- Market share..- Market research..- Media plan..- Computerization..- 13 Role of British and international port and cargo-handling organizations.- British Ports Association (BPA)..- International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH)..- International Cargo Handling Co-ordination Association (ICHCA)..- International Labour Organization (ILO)..- International Maritime Organization (IMO)..- National Association of Port Employers (NAPE)..- The future..- Appendix A.- Further recommended textbook reading..- Appendix B.- Addresses of organizations and institutes engaged in the fields of seaports and international trade..- Appendix C.- Major ports of the world and their location..- Appendix D.- Seaport and international trade terms and abbreviations..