Open Water Ports: Possibilities and Challenges for Container Terminals

Abstract

In this chapter, authors put forward a port layout design approach for an exposed container terminal. This is an unusual approach for this type of terminal because of the associated strict vessel motion criteria. Nevertheless, in view of increasingly bigger container ships that will respond less to environmental conditions, the proposed approach departs from traditional ideas on wave sheltering in ports. The chapter discusses associated advantages and disadvantages. Aside from potential economic benefits, advantages of such an approach could be smaller coastal impacts and larger sustainability . For the disadvantages we present possible directions in which we foresee that solutions could be found to overcome those (technical) limitations. After the remaining technical issues have been solved, and when the business plans of ports can facilitate this new approach, the concept of an open water port is expected to form a more sustainable alternative to traditional port layout design approaches.