MEGAPORTS AND LOAD CENTERS OF THE FUTURE WITH THE PORT OF HOUSTON AS THE BASELINE PORT

Abstract

Improvements in the containership technology will require modern terminal facilities. The number of ships calling on U.S. ports is likely to decrease, but larger and more automated containerships will increase the amount of cargo handled per ship. The result will be greater cargo tonnages handled by seaports and the need for faster vessel turnaround. High capacity, expensive cargo handling equipment will be increasingly used and terminal operations will become even more automated, particularly in container handling, where robotics equipment may well be introduced within the next decade. Present shipping trends seem to indicate that a small number of east, west, and gulf coast seaports will dominate the U.S. container business, thus gaining megaport status. The remaining U.S. ports in order to remain viable, will turn toward serving more specific market niches. These niches include handling the present containership fleet, feeding to and from the megaports, and non-traditional development activities such as bulk and breakbulk services. This study delineates and describes the external environment, facilities, and operational characteristics of a megaport/load center port capable of meeting market requirements by the year 2010. The of Houston is evaluated within this research as an example of a prototypical, next generation seaport.