Advantages

 Unlike railways and roads, no special track is

required to be built.
 Little motor power per unit load
transportation is required.
 Possesses high load carrying capacity.
 Most economical mode for foreign trade.
 Provides powerful means of defense of
coastline
 Assist in industrialization and development of
nations.
 Disadvantages
 Slow means of transportation.
 Subject to storms and hurricanes.
 Waves and tides hinder loading and
unloading of ships
 Fluctuations of water level causing rubbing of
ship against berths.
 Pakistan shares a 1,200 kilometres long coast
line with the Arabian Sea ‐ a mid sea which
joins the strategic oil line of Persian Gulf with
the Indian Ocean. However, owing to the growing
needs of the country, there was a need to
develop other smaller coastal ports into major
cargo handling ports. Besides Karachi, Pasni,
Jiwani, Gadani, Ormara and Gwadar are other
ports which are being developed into world class
ship handling centers. Of these Gwadar is the
latest development.
 Pakistan has two operational seaports,
Karachi Port and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim
 One deep‐water seaport is under
construction at Gawadar.
 Three large fish harbours which are located at
Karachi, Korangi and Gawadar.
 Other smaller fishing harbours are Pasni,
Ormara, and Jeewani.
 Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works and a
few small Private Companies Undertake
Limited ship building in Pakistan. Role of
private companies is very limited.
 It is a water area partially enclosed and
protected naturally and artificially from storm
and huge destructive wave activity providing
safe and simple accommodation for vessels
seeking refuge, supplies, refueling, repairs
and transfer of cargo.
 The facilities Provided Include Protection By
breakwaters, off‐shore moorings, Berthing
and mooring structures within the harbour,
general and bulk cargo handling
facilities and allied supplementary
services.
 Natural Harbour. It is an inlet or water area
protected from storm and distinctive wave
activity by the natural configuration of land,
rocky out crops, islands or other physical
features. Its entrance is so formed and located as
to facilitate the movement of ships while
ensuring comparatively quiet environment within
the harbour. To make them more useful to
commercial vessels additional constructions take
place. Well‐known natural harbours are New York,
San Francisco and Rio‐de Janeiro. Port Qasim is
situated at Phitti and Gharo creeks in Pakistan.
Okaha and Bombay are natural ports protected by
Islands.
 Semi Natural Harbour. Semi‐natural harbour is an
inlet or water area, sheltered on two sides by the
headland and requiring artificial protection only
at the entrance. Next to the purely natural
harbour, it forms the most desirable harbour site.
Plymouth, Cherbourg, Vishakhapatnan take the
advantage of the natural location, to become
well‐protected harbours by the addition of
detached breakwaters at entrances. Karachi
harbour is also a semi‐natural, protected at the
entrance by Manora breakwater.
 Artificial Harbour: It is the one which is
protected from the effect of destructive wave
activities by means of extensive civil works in
the form of breakwaters etc. Extensive
Maintenance dredging may be necessitated.
Eamples are Chennai in India, Hamburg in
Germany.
 Commercial Harbour. It is one in which docks
are provided with the necessary facilities for
loading and discharging cargo. Dry docks are
provided sometimes for ship repairs either as
a part of a bigger harbour complex or
independently as a unit. Some times, single
commodity pier or terminal is provided such
as oil terminal, iron & coal pier etc. Port
Qasim is an example of large commercial
harbour in Pakistan.
 Refuge Harbour It is a sheltered area that may
be used as heaven for ships in storm or
emergency. It should be accessible during
any condition of weather and state of tide. It
should provide safe and commodious
anchorage system and facilities for repairs
and supplies as well. It may be a part of
commercial harbour. An example of refuge
harbour is sandy bay at the mouth of
Delaware (USA).
 Sometimes an outer harbour is constructed
which serves as the anchorage while the
basin within the inner breakwater constitutes
the commercial harbour and refuge harbour.
A fine example of combined commercial
harbour and refuge harbour is Dover in
England. These also serve as naval bases
during the war and therefore equipped with
adequate means of defence.
 Fishery Harbour. A fishery harbour is solely
for the operation of small fishing boats,
fishing trawlers and vessels. This may be
naturally or artificially protected. This
harbour must have adequate number of
refrigerated storage. A fishery harbour is
sometimes a part of large port complex or a
commercial harbour. Examples are Karachi
and Gwadar fish harbours in Pakistan. Rohri is
a fish harbour located in Sind.
 Military Harbours. It is a harbour providing
naval base for accommodation of vessels,
submarines, gunboats etc for defence of the
country. Pearl Harbour in Hawaii and
Guantanamo in Cuba are examples.
 Sea or ocean harbour.
 River or Estuary harbour.
 Canal harbour.
 Lake harbour.
 Provide quick, easy and safe access for all
ships, in all stages of tides, throughout the
year. Approach channel should be free from
curves and bends
 Have an entrance, which should neither be
too narrow nor too wide. If narrow, chances
of clashes of ships in storms will increase. If
wide, more turbulence is likely to enter
harbour basin making berthing of ships
difficult and hazardous.
 Have an entrance whose width should widen
very rapidly inside the harbour to reduce
effects of waves, which enter the harbour
basin.
 Ensure safe accommodation for ships by
providing safe anchorage and adequate draft
depth. Soil conditions should be suitable so
that silting is less. Biggest ship in harbour
should get enough draft to reach the berths.
 Be capable of accommodating and handling
required number of ships thus avoiding
delays in getting berths
 Should provide safe mooring and berthing
with minor wave and current action.
Penetration of damaging wind waves should
be eliminated by structures like breakwater
etc.
 Should provide adequate facilities specially
fuel supply, inspection and repair facilities.
– Initial Considerations. These comprise of: ‐
• Cost of development of a harbour is tremendous.
Need for a harbour should be well thought and
carefully evaluated technically.
• Construction of a harbour should be
economically justifiable.
• Foreseeing future expected volume of sea borne
commerce.
• Availability of inland communications by land
and water.
• Impact of harbour construction
 Provisional Selection of Site. Requirements of
port authorities are considered and technical
studied are conducted. These are followed by
selecting a suitable site provisionally.
Forecasted arrival of ships will mainly govern
the requirements of a harbour in respect of
its accessibility, size, shape, and salient
features.
– Information required for Design
• Detailed survey of the proposed site.
• Nature of coastline and if any protection is provided.
Consider past trends and changes in coastline.
• Depth of water is considered for suitable draft.
Deeper site is preferred so that dredging cost
reduces.
• Soil information by boring inside the water to
determine suitability for anchorage & deepening.
• Soil information by boring on the shore land, which
helps in designing and construction of wharves,
sheds, railway lines, lifts, cranes etc.
• Presence or otherwise of sea insects
 Hydraulic information to include
– Frequency of storms.
– Direction & intensity of winds.
– Tidal range.
– Height of waves and force exerted
 Final Selection:
Final Selection of site will be governed by
 Technical suitability
 Cost of construction and maintenance of
marine structures.
 Initial dredging cost.
 Recurrent dredging cost for maintenance of
design depth.
 Port is a harbor with marine terminal
facilities such as landing of passengers,
cargo handling and storing. Port is portion of
a harbor which serves as base of commercial
activity. Harbor and port are complementary.
-Afford shelter, allied facilities and repairs for visiting
ships.
– Have a hard surface coastline to avoid frequent
repairs to docks and buildings etc.
– Have adequate area for future expansion.
– Have communication links specially railway links.
– Have entrance channel providing easy entrance and
exit.
– Have suitable turning basin.
– Be strategically located to guard against aggression.
– Be capable of handling good tonnage of cargo.
– Be in area having advanced culture, trade and
industry.