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System Theory and Port: 1.1. What Is A Port?

Port is a critical subsystem of the total transportation system. As a node, a port facilitates the transfer of cargo and people between marine vessels and land transport via its core functions, which include conservancy, pilotage, cargo handling facilities, and ancillary services. A port is also a logistical platform. Technological advances have increased cargo handling rates and changed port operations. Ports must be viewed as complex systems with interrelated elements rather than just a collection of individual parts, as relationships between elements are important for understanding port functions.

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86 views

System Theory and Port: 1.1. What Is A Port?

Port is a critical subsystem of the total transportation system. As a node, a port facilitates the transfer of cargo and people between marine vessels and land transport via its core functions, which include conservancy, pilotage, cargo handling facilities, and ancillary services. A port is also a logistical platform. Technological advances have increased cargo handling rates and changed port operations. Ports must be viewed as complex systems with interrelated elements rather than just a collection of individual parts, as relationships between elements are important for understanding port functions.

Uploaded by

Raul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM THEORY AND PORT

Chapter 1:
System theory and port

Nodes (port, towns, villages), lines, (railroads, highways, air routes, inland waters,
marine routes) and flows (movements of vehicles on these routes with cargoes and
people) are three main elements of transportation.

The port is a particularly important node since it lies at the interfaces, between the sea
and land link, at the point where enormous flows of goods or people are transferred
from marine vehicles and vice versa. The port is thus a critical subsystem within the
total transport system.

1.1. What is a port?

ESPO defines port as "an area of land and water including facilities destined mainly
for receiving vessels, loading, unloading and storing cargoes, receiving and
delivering the cargoes from/to land transport means; they may also include
activities of firms linked to the sea-borne trade".

Port is not only a transfer point between sea and land but also a logistical platform.
Port definition is a wide one both include these above two aspects.

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CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM THEORY AND PORT

1.2. Port core functions

As a port, whatever the nature of its trade, it must provide certain essential facilities
and functions: (UNCTAD)

♦ A conservancy service, to give ships safe access to the port and protection when at
berth or anchorage: the provision of navigational aids (such as lights, buoys and
markers) access channels, breakwaters and other engineering works. As ships have
got bigger, the conservancy function of ports has increased in importance,
particularly the dredging of deepwater channels.

♦ Pilotage and towage: the provision of pilots and tugs and other vessels to help ships
to manoeuvre safely into and out of port.

♦ Civil engineering: the construction of quays, wharves, roads, parking areas, transit
sheds and warehouses, the surfacing of open yards, and the building of workshops
and offices.

♦ Operation of cargo-handling facilities: quayside cranes, mobile mechanical


handling equipment (forklift trucks, tractor-trailers, mobile cranes, etc.), transit
storage areas, and the labour force.

♦ Ancillary service: a range of less vital services that play their part in servicing the
shipowner and cargo owner.
The primary function of a port is to transfer cargo between maritime and inland
transport quickly and efficiently.

1.3. Port is a system

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CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM THEORY AND PORT

Rapid technological changes and globalisation of trade have fostered a revolution in


transport.

This in turn has caused major changes in the functions and uses of ports.
Technological developments in ports have increased cargo-handling rates (thereby
reducing port time), improved operational methods, facilitated sea channel and
landside access, introduced the potential for completely automated navigational
guidance, and introduced handling of new physical forms of cargoes.

These changes are dynamic and will continue to influence port as well as
transportation system design, construction, and operation.

This revolution has been accompanied concurrently by traditional role of the sea port,
fostering a new set of concepts governing the design and location of port facilities
which more realistically reflect the needs of ocean transportation as being only one
subsystem of complex inter-modal transportation and distribution system.

The economic consequences of decaying port systems usually affect a large segment of
economic and commercial activity.

Port system has a lot of elements involved, that including cargo handling operations,
relations between people and equipment, and innumerable financial, economic social
and political problems.

Since so many resources have to be marshalled (labour, equipment, materials and


storage space) and so many different parties are involved (shippers, ship's agents,
stevedoring and trucking companies, railway corporations, customs officials, etc.)

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CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM THEORY AND PORT

Port is not just a matter of equipment and vehicles in operation, but is a wholly entity
to be planned and arranged. In port, numerable problems need to be solved in
production, commerce, etc.

Port is a system or a subsystem of the whole transportation system. For this purpose,
“system approach” became necessary.

1.4. Main system concepts applied to port

“A system can be defined as a set of elements standing in interrelations among


themselves and with environment.

A system consists of two basic components: elements and interrelationships.

That is, A system is made of at least two or more parts (elements) that are physically
or logically interrelated to each other.

Now we will see what is the real meaning of system, what is the difference of it
comparing common entity.

In dealing with complexes of “elements” three different kinds of distinction may be


made-i.e. (Ludwig,1973)

1, According to their number,


2. According to their species;
3. According to their relations of elements.

The following simple graphical illustration may clarify this point:

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CHAPTER 1 SYSTEM THEORY AND PORT

In cases 1 and 2, the complex may be understood as the sum of elements considered in
isolation. In case 3, not only the elements should be known, but also the relations
between them.

Characteristics of the first kind may be called summative, of the second kind
constitutive. We can also say that summative characteristics of an element are those
which are the same within and outside the complex; they may therefore be obtained by
means of summation of characteristics and behaviour of elements as known in
isolation. Constitutive characteristics are those which are dependent on the specific
relations within the complex; for understanding such characteristics we therefore must
know not only the parts, but also the relations.

From system perspective, this whole is more than the sum total of the parts of the
system.

The essential thing is that the system is composed of interrelated parts but can be
perceived as a whole.

As a system, port is not just a terminal for cargo loading/unloading or storage, it has
also many other functions which have close relationships with these functions and both
of them co-operate together to make everything work smoothly. This will be
interpreted later in this dissertation.

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