Escola Spain

Port operations are necessary to facilitate maritime trade between trading partners. It is pivotal to ensure that the operations are smooth and avoid congestion in the harbour. Hence, port operations can be defined as all policies, reforms and regulations that influence the infrastructure and operations of port facilities. This includes shipping services. Maritime transport and port security has become a major concern in recent years, in particular in light of the 9/11 terror attacks. Measures taken to increase security, such as the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) code, had a significant impact on trade and port operations. The SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) initiative came to life as well a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security for the port and the ships in the harbour. International maritime transport costs tend to be on average between two to three times as high as the custom duties of importing countries. Even so it is the cheapest way of transporting large amounts of goods compared with other transport methods. Big differences exist between countries regarding the quality and costs of the port and shipping services available to their importers and exporters (e.g. in terms of towage operations, mooring, etc.).