Harbors and ports

Harbors and ports

A harbor is any body of water of sufficient depth for ships to enter and find shelter from storms or other natural phenomena. The modern harbor is a place where ships are built, launched, and repaired, as well as a terminal for incoming and outgoing ships. There are four principal classes of harbors; commercial, naval, fishery, and refuge for small craft. Most harbors are situated at the mouth of a river or at some point where it is easy to transfer cargoes inland by river barges, railroads, or trucks. Harbors may be land-locked, natural harbors protected from the sea by a narrow inlet; unprotected harbors at which ships may dock even though subjected to the hazards of changing tides, ocean waves, fogs, and ice; and artificial harbors carved out at sites where the natural features are unfavorable. The latter are fashioned by dredging and by constructing jetties, breakwaters, and sea basins to protect ships against unusually high or low tides. See Coastal engineering

A port is a harbor with the necessary terminal facilities to expedite the moving of cargo and passengers at any stage of a journey. A good harbor must have a safe anchorage and a direct channel to open water, and must be deep enough for large ships. An efficient port must have enough room for docks, warehouses, and loading and unloading machinery. Geographically, a port or harbor is usually limited to a comparatively small area of usable berthing space rather than an extended coastline. Some ports along exposed coastal areas, for example, the western coast of South America, have little harbor area.