Assignment #4
Name: Marc-Oliver Bezenar, Harley Lorentzon

1. List the 10 biggest ports in the world and how is this measured?
There are several measurements that can be used to decide how busy or large a port is. It could be, for example, the area covered by the port, the amount of traffic handled or the gross tonnage processed. The following list shows ten global ports that have been chosen in consideration of size, gross tonnage handled and the role that these ports play in the import and export capabilities not only of the nations they serve but also the international imports and exports.
10. Port of Felixstowe, United Kingdom
- Area of 1.4 square miles
- Accounts almost half of Britain’s container trade
- 3.4 million TEU’s every year
- Connection to more than 360 global ports

9. Port of Hamburg, Germany
- Third largest port in Europe
- 130.9 million tons of gross tonnage cargo processed in 2012
8. Port Hedland, Western Australia
- Natural deep anchorage
- In 2011, the port handled 199 million tons of cargo
- Largest handler of iron ore in the world.
7. Port of Jebel Ali, United Arabs Emirates
- Largest man-made port in the world and the Middle East’s biggest port
- Epicenter for international imports and exports in the Middle East (links to the Dubai International Airport Cargo Village)
- Transit time between ship and plane of just four fours (unrivalled by any other port)
6. Port of South Louisiana, United States
- Largest port in the United States located along the mammoth expanse of the great Mississippi River
- Top spot in the world largest shipping ports and the largest in America
- One of the biggest bulk cargo ports in the world
- Accounts for up 70 percent of the nation’s grain exports, including wheat, soy and corn.

5. Port of Hong Kong, China
- Natural port and accounts for the cities strong presence in the world market
- Dominated by container traffic and for a proportion of the late 20th Century, was one world’s busiest container ports serving South-East Asia
4. Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia
- One of the fastest growing ports in the world
- Is expected to handle more 10.4 TEU’s by the end of 2014 (only 14 years after the port launched operations)
- Could overtake the likes of Singapore in terms of container traffic
3. Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Larger part of the 20th century busiest port in the world, in terms of cargo tonnage
- Area of41 square miles
- Still the busiest port in Europe
- Draft of 74 feet, only one of two ports worldwide to accommodate MS Berge Stahl
2. Port of Singapore, Singapore
- Origins of this port date back to the 13th century
- Port handles more than 420 million tons of cargo every year
- Ranked first in terms of containerized traffic
- Handles almost a quarter of the world’s shipping containers and connects Singapore to more than 600 global ports
1. Port of Shanghai, China
- Largest and busiest port in the world
- Difference in cargo capabilities of Singapore and Shanghai relatively small, BUT Shanghai’s increasing expansion indicates that the future will increase the gap between these two global ports
- In 2012 the Port of Shanghai handled over 736 million tons of cargo -> busiest in the world
- Responsible for a quarter of the country’s foreign trade
- Shanghai is China’s gateway to the East China Sea and the international market due to its geographic space at the Yangtze, Huangpu and Qiatang River

2. Mention some characteristics of your country’s port!

Port type: Sea port
Harbour type: River Basin, turning area, good holding ground
Max. Draft: 15.1 meter
Water depth: Channel is 9.4 - 10 meters, Cargo Pier is 4.9 - 6.1 meters, Mean tide is 7 feet, Oil terminal is 12.5 - 13.7 meters
Maximum vessel size: up to 500 feet in length 3. Mention 5 determinants of competitiveness of the port of Hamburg 1. Port selection preferences of carriers and shippers
The Port of Hamburg is a universal port, which means that it does not only focus on the container business, but also caters for all types of shipments. The non-containerized segment is very labor-intensive, which makes it an important part of the ongoing development of the port. 2. Port (terminal) operation efficiency level
Hamburg's success is rooted in the brilliant services and facilities it provides for its business of shipping companies, as well as its closeness to many of Europe's key markets and industrial centers. For example, the Altenwerder container terminal (CTA) is unrivalled in Europe in terms of its productivity and logistical infrastructure. 3. Reliability
The reliable services and excellent transport relations to the hinterland of continental Europe give it a significant advantage over its northern European rivals, namely the ports of Bremen, Rotterdam and Antwerp. 4. Landside accessibility
The size of the port’s industrial area and its position as the gateway to Europe’s inland waterway network make the port of Hamburg an ideal location to transship cargo. The landside accessibility from Hamburg's port happens mainly through railway and road transportation. Furthermore they have an airport located close by which means that it is an ideal area to transport products since it can happen through the air too. 5. Product differentiation
The port of Hamburg is well prepared to handle bulk and general cargoes, coal and ores, crude oil, agricultural products, chemicals, containers, cars, fruit, and refrigerated cargoes. Ship repair, maintenance and storage facilities are available, too.

4. How a port looks 50 years from now?
In 50 years from now we believe that a lot have change from how the ports look today. With an increased focus on being environmentally friendly we believe a lot of the focus will be put into fixing just that.
First of all ports will no longer be located on shore, but rather offshore on artificial islands where the layout can be optimized, they will be divided into different sections and supported by floating river terminals so they can be easily moved around so be able to cope with changing demands.
As land by 2060 will be a rare commodity, we believe that these floating ports could store the containers in silos going underneath the water surface, within these silos an automated tracking system could store and locate the containers as they are requested for shipping or on-land transport. This system could be completely sustained through solar panels equipped on top of each silo.
We strongly believe that 50 years from now AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be a part of our daily life. This will mean that the loading and unload of containers will solely rely on this type of technology. It will be able to do so by scanning barcodes or by microchip located within containers. The transportation from these offshore ports to the mainland will happen through much more energy efficient ways than today. We further believe that the use of already existing technology such as magnetic levitation can make it highly efficient and automated to where the cargo needs to go and at which speed we would be able to get the products to its final destination.
Furthermore we believe that by doing these types of offshore ports you not only increase efficiency, you have a new concept of safety measures as cargo can be scanned way before even coming close to on-land cities.