A
port operator is
port authorityIn Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body...
or
companyA company is a form of business organization.In the United States, a company is a corporation—or, less commonly, an association, partnership, or union—that carries on an industrial enterprise." Generally, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company,...
that contracts with the port authority to move cargo through a
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
at a contracted minimum level of productivity. They may be state-owned (particularly for port authorities) or privately run.
The work involves managing the movement of
cargo containerContainerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using standard intermodal containers that are standardised by the International Organization for Standardization...
s between
cargo shipA cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
s,
truckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle - more specifically a commercial vehicle commonly used for transporting goods and materials. Some light trucks/lorries are similar in size to a passenger automobile...
s and freight
trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
s and optimizing the flow of goods through customs to minimize the amount of time a ship spends in port.
A
port operator is
port authorityIn Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body...
or
companyA company is a form of business organization.In the United States, a company is a corporation—or, less commonly, an association, partnership, or union—that carries on an industrial enterprise." Generally, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company,...
that contracts with the port authority to move cargo through a
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
at a contracted minimum level of productivity. They may be state-owned (particularly for port authorities) or privately run.
The work involves managing the movement of
cargo containerContainerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using standard intermodal containers that are standardised by the International Organization for Standardization...
s between
cargo shipA cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
s,
truckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle - more specifically a commercial vehicle commonly used for transporting goods and materials. Some light trucks/lorries are similar in size to a passenger automobile...
s and freight
trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
s and optimizing the flow of goods through customs to minimize the amount of time a ship spends in port. Maintaining efficiency involves managing and upgrading
gantry craneA container crane is a design of large dockside gantry cranes found at container terminals for loading and unloading intermodal containers from container ships....
s,
berthThe term berth is used to describe or a location in a port or harbour used specifically for mooring vessels while not at sea .-Locations in a Port:Berth is the term used in ports and harbors to define a specific location where a vessel may be...
s,
waterwayA waterway is any navigable body of water. These include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s,
roadA road is an identifiable route, way or path between places.
s, storage facilities, communication equipment, computer systems and dockworkers'
unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
contracts. The port operator also manages paperwork, leases, safety and port security.
Largest port operators
This is a list of the world's largest port operators in terms of total cargo tonnage handled.
- Hutchison Port Holdings
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in its three...
(Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
)
- PSA International
PSA International Pte Ltd, formerly Port of Singapore Authority is the second largest port operator in the world.The company's flagship operations are PSA Singapore Terminals, PSA HNN and PSA Marine...
(SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
)
- Dubai Ports World
DP World is a subsidiary of Dubai World, a holding company owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.In March 2006, it purchased the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company of the United Kingdom, which was then the fourth largest ports operator in the world, for £3.9...
(DubaiDubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous state of the United Arab Emirates . It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The Dubai Municipality is sometimes called Dubai state to distinguish it from the emirate...
, United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
)
- A.P. Møller Container Terminals
The A.P. Moller - Maersk Group is a Danish business conglomerate more commonly known simply as Maersk.Maersk has activities in a variety of business sectors, primarily within the transportation and energy sectors. It is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world.A.P...
(The HagueThe Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 485,818 and an area of approximately 100 km²...
, NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
)
- COSCO
China Ocean Shipping Company, abbreviated as COSCO or the COSCO Group, is one of the largest liner shipping companies serving companies all over the world...
(BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
, People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
)
Dubai Ports World was the 6th largest port operator before acquiring than 4th-placed
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation CompanyThe Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, was a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
in 2006.