Question

How are ports helpful for trade? Give a classification of ports on the basis of their location.

Answer 1

• The commercial part of a harbour containing facilities for embarking and disembarking passengers, loading and unloading, and facilities for storage are called ports.
• Ports are called gateways of international trade. 90 - 95% of international trade is carried out through them. Major part of the international trade is carried out through waterways and ports are two ends of a waterway, they become extremely important.
• Cargoes and travellers pass from one part of the world to another through these ports.
• The ports provide facilities of docking, loading, unloading, storage facilities for cargo.
• In order to provide these facilities, the port authorities make arrangements for maintaining navigable channels, arranging tugs and barges, and providing labour and managerial services.

On the basis of location ports can be classified as:

• Inland Ports: These ports are located away from the seacoast. They are linked to the sea through a river or a canal. Such ports are accessible to flat bottom ships or barges. For example, Manchester is linked with a canal; Memphis is located on the river Mississippi; Rhine has several ports like Mannheim and Duisburg; and Kolkata is located on the river Hoogly, a branch of the river Ganga.
• Out Ports: These are deep-water ports built away from the actual ports. These serve the parent ports by receiving those ships, which are unable to approach them due to their large size. Classic combination, for example, is Athens and its out port Piraeus in Greece.