What is a port facility? [the detailed guide 2023]

With the end of the Covid crisis, the ports are once again welcoming more and more goods. Today, more than 90% of international trade passes by sea. The port is therefore an essential element of international logistics. Nevertheless, in order to be able to process these flows of goods as well as possible, the ports must have a multitude of quality port installations. What is a port facility and what is its use? You will discover the answers to these questions in this article and also why the port of Le Havre is a good example in terms of a port facility.

What is a port facility?

The term port installation refers to all terrestrial or marine installations and equipment necessary for the operation of the port. These are generally fitted out and equipped terminals intended to carry out a specific function in the port. Such a facility may be located in one or more activity zones.

Indeed, ports are real cornerstones of a country’s industrial development. They are strategic areas for communication and exchange between different places. They must be able to accommodate ships, in particular during loading and unloading operations. They must also facilitate maintenance and refueling operations for ships that dock there.

Port facilities and equipment make all this possible. They guarantee the smooth running of activities in the port and the safety of ships, port users and the goods transported.

What are the different port facilities?

For its proper functioning, a port must have at least a certain number of port infrastructures. These facilities can be classified into 3 main categories:

1 - The pools

The basins play an essential role in the port. These are above all the main areas in the water where boats come to dock to load or unload goods, most often via shipping containers, but also to carry out parking or maintenance operations. They are also used for the fortification of the banks which surround them. Port basins are codified by the port facility code.

2 - Warehouses

A port warehouse is a construction on land where goods are temporarily stored before being reloaded on a ship or after unloading from a ship. It can be a building, hangar, dock, etc. These are therefore commercial spaces set up inside the port to facilitate the movement of goods between the boats and the places to which it is connected. There are handling machines, storage equipment and human resources for the management of incoming and outgoing goods.

3 - Berths

Berths are sections of quay where ships call for:

• embark or disembark passengers,
• load or unload goods (packaged goods, solid bulk, liquid bulk)
• make any supplies.

4 - Production areas

These are specialized terminals that use the energy and raw materials or intermediate materials brought into the port directly on site. This type of port infrastructure is found only in large ports considered as industrial-port zones (ZIP).

We distinguish for example:

• Refineries: industrial-type port facilities intended for oil refining. These are factories installed in the port where crude oils are transported to be processed and transformed into finished products.
• On-water steelworks: Facilities to use imported coal and iron to produce steel.

The port of Le Havre, an example in terms of port facility

With an industrial-port area of ​​more than 10,000 hectares (27 km long by 5 km wide), the port of Le Havre is one of the leading European ports. It occupies 52nd place in the world ranking of the largest ports and 2nd place in France. However, it is also the first port to be ISO 28,000 safety certified in Europe and one of the only two ports on the continent that can accommodate ships of more than 20,000 TEUs without constraint. It contains all the main port facilities:

Logistics facilities

To remain competitive, it has evolved since its origins by acquiring major port facilities. It now has several logistics sites enabling it to offer the best transit times between Europe and the rest of the world. Examples include the Stockespace park (146,000 m2), the Prologis park where XP Log is located (183,000 m2) and the AMB park (45,000 m2). There are also facilities classified for the protection of the environment.

Pools

In the city center, there are various basins formerly used to accommodate merchant ships (basin du commerce de Roy, Paul Vatine, etc.). It also has other active basins such as the Théophile Ducrocq basin, the Manche basin or the Henry Deschenes basin, the deepest of which are used to accommodate oil and ore tankers.

Warehouses and port docks

The port of Havre houses port quays equipped with cranes and warehouses (1.2 million m2) for the storage of solid and liquid bulk (containers, oil, chemicals, etc.). In total, more than 94,000 containers were operated in 2021.

Thanks to its modern port facilities, the ZIP of Le Havre is capable of handling 2.5 million TEUs each year for 66 million tonnes of goods (2016 figures). It thus covers more than 60% of container traffic in France. Three main areas house the different terminals for storing, loading and unloading various goods:

• North terminals (Quays of the Atlantic, Americas, Europe);
• South terminals (Quays of Asia, Osaka, Bougainville);
• Port 2000 (Terminal de France and Porte Océane).

In addition, the port receives more than three million tonnes of dry bulk and 41 million tonnes of liquid bulk (2011 figures). In the same year, 715,279 passengers were able to pass through the port thanks to its various quays.

Industrial spaces

The port industrial zone of Le Havre is also an ecosystem of 1,200 establishments in the chemical, automotive, aeronautics, energy sectors, etc. It represents 31,000 jobs, which makes Le Havre an industrial hub. leading. All around the ZIP are located petrochemical plants, cement plants, refineries (eg the Total Energies refinery in Normandy), etc.

A dense and fluid communication network

The port of Le Havre has maritime connections with more than 600 ports around the world and a pan-European multimodal network (road, river, rail). It offers 35 km of quays and 200 km of road and rail networks.

Service spaces

With its marina, La ZIP du Havre has seven hectares in the southern districts occupied by workshops/offices, a 300-space winter park and handling and careening areas