Marine ports and the services they provide are critical to economic success. Today, marine ports not only have to be efficient in handling throughput but also in making sure ships, ports, and oceans are clean. The global marine ports and services market is expected to reach $66 billion in revenue in 2017. This is primarily due to the huge expansion in international trade flows carried out over the world’s oceans. The emergence of China, and more recently India, as huge exporters of manufactured products has necessitated the huge expansion in trade routes. For the United States, two-thirds of goods consumed by Americans are delivered by ship from overseas, representing $1 trillion in value and 13 million jobs.
There are thousands of marine services companies helping ports with all aspects of operation and technical services. The companies can be small with just a few employees or very large multinationals like ABB or Hutchison Whampoa, PSA International and DP World, to name a few, which have their own marine and ports divisions.
Marine & Cranes, Helsinki factory, Finland (Image Courtesy ABB.com)
According to ABB, it’s marine and posts division provides:
- Cargo vessels, ice going vessels, marine terminals, offshore vessels, and passenger vessels
- Automation and Marine Software, Automation and electrical systems for container handling, Bulk systems, Drilling drive system, Dynamic AC (DAC), Electric propulsion, Energy storage, Integrated Operations, Onboard DC Grid, Power generation and distribution, Shore-to-ship power, Waste heat recovery
- Azipod propulsion, Distribution transformers, Drilling drives, Drives for marine applications, Generators, Gate, crane and rail OCR, Low and high voltage marine motors, Measurement products, Shaftline propulsion, Switchboards and motor control, Turbochargers
- Integrated Operations, Marine services, Turbocharging services, Cranes services
This thumbnail outline of ABB services is by no means complete but is representative of the vast array of services large companies like ABB provide.
In the following video, a NOAA spokesperson explains the importance of marine ports and services to the US.
