PORT OPERATIONS AND PORT ECONOMICS SELECTIVE GUIDELINES FOR A PROGMATIC APPROACH

Experts who study port operations throughout the world agree that these leave much to be desired, though this conclusion is disputed by some of those responsible. Poor performance is particularly evident with regard to output figures per ship per 24 hours in the port the total idle time, the degree of use of port installations and the return on capital invested. The principal reasons for this can be summed up as a lack of up to date management facilities combined with an excess of inefficient and out of date operational resources. One of the principal shortcomings of present day port management is the lack of clearly defined objectives, partly due to the complexity of traditional port structures and to the great diversity of administrative organisation patterns, but above all as a consequence of the interference of port users and national and local authorities in the internal management of ports. Two more elements which have a negative influence on port operations are the problems of conditions of employment, and the determination of the capacity of port installations, both of which have a very great influence on the development of new port schemes, estimation of costs and benefits, and fixing port dues. In contradiction to the traditional point of view, the latter is not constant but fluctuates to a great extent according to occupation of berths, composition of cargo, quality of road and rail connections etc. Cost benefit analysis is increasingly being used for new port schemes, but the use of sophisticated evaluation techniques can lead to paradox, especially in developing countries where the difference between the national economic and financial evaluation is seldom clearly understood. The author concedes that it is not possible in a short survey of port problems to go into every aspect of operations and management, and in his conclusion presents a short summary of the most important activities to which port authorities should turn their attention.