What is the difference between dock and harbour

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Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims. Archived Questions Goto Qn. What is the difference between a dock, port, quay, harbour, jetty and a wharf? Baloo55th Answer has 17 votes. Baloo55th 19 year member replies Answer has 17 votes. A dock is dug out and usually has gates so that the water level is kept up even though the tide has gone out. Access may only be at certain times of the tide. A dock is for mooring ships for cargo or passenger exchange, or sometimes repair.

A dry dock can have the water evacuated so the ship rests on the bottom for easy access to the hull. For example, Saldanha Bay harbour said to have been discovered around the year , remains the largest and deepest natural port in the Southern Hemisphere able to accommodate vessels with a draft of up to The entrance channel has a minimum width of m while the turning basin has a diameter of m and a depth of The act of keeping the shipping channels deep, wide and free of silt is known as dredging and is considered one of the main activities in maintaining a harbour..

Some of the hallmarks of artificial harbours are breakwaters, concrete walls sea walls , and other forms of barriers designed to protect the harbour from storms and reduce the tidal range.. Such artificial barriers may also mean that the seabed in artificial harbours may be a bit more stable than natural harbours although this topic may be up for debate..

Whether natural or man-made, harbours are important for trade and all around the world these harbours are used for the import and export of various types of cargoes such as steel, iron, oil, cars, clothing, etc etc.. Harbours also cater to cruise ships carrying passengers from place to place..

Some harbours may also be used by ships seeking shelter in bad weather etc, and these harbours may not have any kind of commercial or personal facilities and a ship can only just seek shelter there from the elements..

When these harbours are used for the purpose of commerce and trade such as loading and unloading of cargo, passengers or anything that generates revenue, these harbours may be said to serve as a Port.. Ports play a very crucial role in transporting various types of goods and some ports are classified based on the cargo that they handle..

Port is also a place where water and land meet and therefore there are trains and trucks that come into the port for the purpose of delivery for exports onto a ship or picking up cargo from imports off a ship.. Many countries have many ports along major rivers.. Each of the ports are controlled, operated and run by a Port Authority which sets the commercial tariff for the handling of ships, goods and passengers at that port.. While some of the ports may handle only specific cargoes, a vast majority of the ports around the world handle multiple cargoes within the same port..

The term Terminal is also extensively used to identify inland locations to where goods are transported from the port using rail and road modes.. A berth is basically an area where the ship is moored onto the bollards and where the cargo is loaded or discharged on and off the ships.. The land area surrounding the berth is also sometimes referred to as a quay depending on where you are from..

As an example you can see below image of Brani Container Terminal in Singapore where you can see 6 container ships under operation.. Each ship is moored at a different berth and the area immediately behind the cranes on the land side maybe termed as quay.. So in a way, when it comes to commercial operations, there may be a hierarchy to this……. But having said all of the above, in many cases, these different terms are used interchangeably in different countries and there are still more terms like Wharf, Dock etc that are used to refer to a berth or harbour..

I too was trying to learn all the terms also what is a marina? From what I understand from your awesome breakdown and the hierarchy I know commercial makes a difference, but in general :. And the piers would be the long, above sea level, things stick out into the water? And the docks would maybe be the sea-level floating wood that the smaller boats are moored at in the map—coming off of the big raised pier where you can see dozens of boats?

And is this this whole area a marina? Thanks a lot! Thanks a gain. Great explanation and the comments from other participants made it even more enjoyable. I would say the ship enters the harbour, gets into the port looking for the quay assigned to the ship, moors to the berth, and the people working at the terminal come closer to the ship to unload cargo on to the quay.

Great info! Would this be done by way of quay or rowboats? Could it be done directly from ship to ship, or would he need to go ashore? Thanks again. Hello Carolfrances, I think all of the three options are thinkable, but you have to consider the following points I am no expert : — By way of quay : a minimal infrastructure is needed straight berths with bollards, chariots etc. The merchant would have to pay a tax to the port, I think.

I think the operation is longer than the other ways. Otherwise, a crane would be needed. It may be dangerous because the sails could hit one another and the hulls could be scratched protective liners are very important. Very Good and very clear. A beach cannot be harbor since it will not have draft. A harbor may have many ports owned by different business, government, cooperatives, scientific bodies. The maritime industry has grown multiple times in recent years.

It generates revenue through trade. Ports, harbors, terminals, etc play different but important roles in the industry. Ports and horror , both are of great help. One helps in the organized conduction of trade and the other helps in the protection of water transports.

Skip to content There are various terminologies related to the marine industry that the mariners or people from the same industry understand. Comparison Table Between Port and Harbor. What is Port? What is Harbor? Main Differences Between Port and Harbor A port is a commercial place whereas a harbor is a parking, docking or sheltering place. A port is usually a man-made place whereas a harbor can be natural or man-made.

A port is used to trade between two countries, shipping cargo and containers from one country to another or taking people from one place to another while a harbor is used to shelter ships and boats usually surrounded by walls to protect them from rough weather conditions and water currents.

A port is equipped with all the facilities required for commercial purposes and housing facilities for the support staff whereas harbors are equipped with limited facilities. A port is accessible through channels, canals, sea routes, rail, roads, etc, a harbor may or may not be accessible through all channels because it is usually protected from sides.

All ports are harbors but the vice versa is not necessarily true. A port may be located inside a harbor but a harbor can never be inside a port.