“PORTS&HARBOR, BREAKWATER, WHARF, PIER,
DOCKHEAD AND MODERN FACILITIES”
Ports and Harbor
Ports - a location on a coast or shore containing one or
more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people
or cargo to or from land.
Harbor or harbour - a part of a body of water along the
shore deep enough for anchoring a ship and so situated
with respect to coastal features, whether natural or
artificial, as to provide protection from winds, waves,
and currents.
TYPES OF PORTS
1. Inland port - is a port on a navigable lake, river
(fluvial port), or canal with access to a sea or
ocean, which therefore allows a ship to sail
from the ocean inland to the port to load or
unload its cargo. An example of this is the St.
Lawrence Seaway which allows ships to travel
from the Atlantic Ocean several thousand
kilometers inland to Great Lakes ports like
Duluth- Superior and Chicago.
2. Fishing port - is a port or harbor for landing and
distributing fish. It may be a recreational facility,
but it is usually commercial. A fishing port is the
only port that depends on an ocean product,
and depletion of fish may cause a fishing port to
be uneconomical. In recent decades, regulations
to save fishing stock may limit the use of a
fishing port, perhaps effectively closing it.
Sample: Navotas Fish ports
3. Dry port - is an inland intermodal terminal
directly connected by road or rail to a seaport
and operating as a centre for the
transshipment of sea cargo to inland
destinations.
4. Seaport - is a facility which can accommodate
ships which go out to sea. Seaports can be
found in natural and artificial harbors along
many coastlines in the world, and they have a
variety of fixtures including cranes to help ships
handle cargo, and docks for ships to attach to.
5. Cruise Home Port - is the port where cruise-ship
passengers board (or embark) to start their
cruise and disembark the cruise ship at the end
of their cruise. It is also where the cruise ship's
supplies are loaded for the cruise, which
includes everything from fresh water and fuel to
fruits, vegetables, champagne, and any other
supplies needed for the cruise. Sample: Tianjin
International Cruise Home Port.
WORLD’S MAJOR PORTS
1. AFRICA - Port Said - the busiest port in Africa
(Egypt).
2. ASIA - the port of Shanghai is the largest port in
the world in both cargo tonnage and activity
3. EUROPE - Europe's busiest container port and
biggest port by cargo tonnage by far is the Port
of Rotterdam.
4. OCEANIA - the largest port in Australia is the
Port of Melbourne.
Harbor vs Ports
HARBOR
• Harbor can be a man-made or a natural feature
connecting a piece of land with a large water
body that is mainly used to provide shelter to
ships and vessels from bad weather. Harbors
are used for safe anchorage of ships. Natural
harbors are surrounded by land on most sides
but have an entrance point to the sea.
PORTS
• Ports are commercial places along the coastline
that are used for import and export of goods
and cargo from one country to another.
• Ports are mostly man made and are bigger and
have many facilities.
Port and harbor engineers handle the design,
construction, and operation of ports, harbors,
canals, and other maritime facilities. This is not to
be confused with marine engineering.
A harbor or harbour or haven, is a body of water
where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter
from stormy weather, or else are stored for future
use.
Harbors can be natural or artificial. An artificial
harbor has deliberately constructed breakwaters,
sea walls, or jettys, or otherwise they could have
been constructed by dredging, and these require
maintenance by further periodic dredging. An
example of the artificial harbor is Long Beach
Harbor, California, which was an array of salt
 marshes and tidal flats too shallow for modern became fully operational and increases the
merchant ships before it was first dredged in the Port's annual capacity by 450,000 TEU's.
early 20th century.
LIST OF PORTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Harbors and ports are often confused with each
other. A port is a facility for loading and unloading Ports
vessels; ports are usually located in harbors.
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one
Manila North Harbor or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer
people or cargo to or from land. Port locations are
• Manila North Harbor (seaport code:MNN),
selected to optimize access to land and navigable water,
occupying a 53- hectare area in Tondo, Manila
for commercial demand, and for shelter from wind and
and operated by the Manila North Harbour
waves. Ports with deeper water are rarer, but can
Port Incorporated, has 7 piers namely Pier 2, 4,
handle larger, more economical ships.
6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. North Harbor is accessible
by road through Radial Road 10. Modernization The following is a list of major ports in the
of the port facility involves the acquisition of Philippines organized by water mass. This list
heavy equipment, dredging operations, consists primarily of shipping ports, but also
information technology, container terminal includes some that are primarily or significantly
expansion and a recently completed North Port devoted to other purposes: cruises, fishing,
Passenger Terminal that can accommodate local delivery, and marinas.
more passengers, boost tourism in the country, 1. The Port of Manila
and replace the old terminal.
The Port of Manila (Filipino: Pantalan ng Maynila)
Manila South Harbor refers to the collective facilities and terminals that
processes maritime trade function in harbours that
• Manila South Harbor (seaport code:MNS), an
serves the Metro Manila Area . It is located in the Port
80- hectare port facilty located in Port Area,
Area and Tondo area of Manila, Philippines facing the
Manila and operated by Asian Terminals
Manila Bay. It is the largest and the premier
Incorporated, has 5 piers namely Pier 3, 5, 9, 13
international shipping gateway to the country. The
and 15. It is accessible by road through
Philippine Ports Authority, a government-owned
Bonifacio Drive has a passenger terminal
corporation, manages the Port of Manila and most of
located between Pier 13 and 15 namely Eva
the public ports in the country. It is composed of 3
Macapagal Super Terminal. It also houses as
major facilities namely Manila North Harbor, Manila
the main hub of 2GO ferry company. As of April
South Harbor and the Manila International Container
29, 2014, the management has installed a new
Terminal.
Liebherr quay crane to increase the efficiency of
Manila South Harbor. History
Manila International Container Terminal • The Port of Manila and the area dates to
Spanish and pre-Spanish rule of the Philippine
• Manila International Container Terminal
Islands. It is recorded that Manila and the
(seaport code:MNL) is operated by
Philippines had trade relations with most
International Container Terminal Services Inc. It
neighboring countries at least as far back as the
is one of Asia's major seaports and one of the
9th to 12th centuries. Major trading partners
Philippines' most active ports. It is located
included China and Japan, with ties to India
between the Manila North Harbor and the
through the areas that are now Malaysia and
Manila South Harbor and can be accessed by
Indonesia. The Spanish-controlled Port of
road through MICT South Access Road. In 2011,
Manila handled trade primarily with China and
Manila International Container Terminal ranked
other East Asian countries, with Mexico, with
38th place in the List of world's busiest
Arab countries, and directly with Spain from the
container ports with container traffic(TEU) of
16th to mid-19th century CE when the port was
3,260,000. Inaugurated on July 7, 2012, Berth 6
 opened to all trade ships. Manila Bay was the
setting for the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898
between United States and Spanish forces, and
the siege of Corregidor Island by invading
Japanese forces in 1942.
Location
• The bay entrance is 19 kilometres (12 mi) wide
and expands to a width of 48 kilometres (30
mi). Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, is an
anchorage just inside the northern entrance,
and Sangley Point is the former location of
Cavite Naval Base. On either side of the bay are
volcanic peaks topped with tropical foliage. 40
kilometres (25 mi) to the north is the Bataan
Peninsula and to the south is the province of
Cavite.
• The skyline of Manila as seen from the top of a
ship docked at the Manila North Harbor.
2. The Batangas International Port
The Batangas International Port or locally known as the
Batangas Pier, is a seaport in Batangas City primarily
serving the CALABARZON region of the Philippines. It
was declared as a national port in 1956. It serves as an
alternate port to the Port of Manila. In the 90’s it was
the second biggest port in the Philippines in terms of
revenue, just behind the Port of Manila. The district of
Batangas, comprising the province of Quezon, Aurora,
Polilio Islands, Batangas, Marinduque, Oriental and
Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, the Lubang and Cuyo
Islands, Calamian Group, and all other islands within the
jurisdition of the said provinces, in which Batangas City,
shall be the principal port of entry. Its subport of entry
are Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Siain (Plaridel),
Quezon and Aurora.
3. Port of Batangas - the Philippines' largest oil
port and a major ro-ro terminal.
4. Port of Matnog - the busiest passenger ferry
terminal on the AH-26.
5. Port of Cebu - the busiest seaport in the
Philippines in terms of annual passengers.
6. The Port of Cagayan de Oro
Port of Cagayan de Oro in Macabalan area is located
near the estuary of Cagayan de Oro River. It has an
anchorage depth of 18 meters and is around 400 meters
from the shoreline. It has two authorized cargo-
handling operators. With the recent completion of the
P250 million rehabilitation project, the port is now the
biggest international and domestic seaport in
Mindanao.
The Port of Cagayan de Oro (Macabalan Port) serves
regular cities trips to and from Metro Manila, Cebu
City, Tagbilaran, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo City and
Jagna, Bohol.
7. The Port of Davao
The Port of Davao , or Davao Port (Filipino: Daungan
ng Dabaw, Cebuano: Pantalan sa Dabaw), is a seaport
located at Davao, Mindanao island in the Philippines.
The Port of Davao consists of a number of ports, all
within the Davao Gulf which is part of the Celebes Sea,
but its main office and seaport is located at Brgy. Sasa,
Davao City. The Port of Davao is largely dominated by
container cargo, raw materials exportation, bulk cargo,
general cargo and passenger traffic facilities.
Davao Port, or the Port of Davao, is one of the
Philippines major seaports alongside Manila, Subic,
Cebu, Zamboanga and others. The Port of Davao, often
called Port District of Davao, includes Davao City and
the three provinces. Davao port services interisland and
international shipments. The city is situated 974
kilometers south of Manila, on the shore of Davao Gulf.
"Davao" also refers to three provinces: Davao del
Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. Davao City is
located in Davao del Sur but is politically and
administratively independent of the province. The
access to the port of entry in Davao City is through
Davao Gulf which has two approaches. One is at
Pakiputan Strait between Davao and the water west of
Samal Island. The other approach is at the east side of
Samal Island mainly used as an exit channel of vessels
departing from points north of Davao Gulf. Access to
the subport of entry in Mati, Davao Oriental is through
Pujada Bay. The Davao Gulf is situated on the south
coast of Mindanao, the second largest island in the
Philippines.
The port itself is the most important in Mindanao Island
and also has the busiest international container port in
both Visayas and Mindanao. The port serves as the
gateway to the southern Philippines and is considered
as the best-performing port in Mindanao. A number of
Passenger ship-lines operate to Davao, including WG&A
Superferry.

History
• The Port opened on 1900 for the international
exportation of agricultural products in then-
Davao Province, mostly from Davao City. It is
opened for the prospectors and entrepreneurs
in the city to export their agricultural produce
internationally. Due to the ever-expanding
economy of the city, it later became one of the
busiest seaports in the country.
• In World War II, the Port became a landing and
anchor zone for American naval forces
participating in the battle for the city.
Facilities
• Apart from the government pier and private
pier, a number of piers and wharves exist in the
Davao Port region specifically for commercial
use. Vessels awaiting berth availability anchor
450 meters off Sta pier in 12 fathoms mud. The
anchorage is well protected except during
strong southwest monsoon. Pilotage is
compulsory for foreign-going vessels with 100
GRT and over; and for domestic vessels with 75
GRT and over. Request for pilot should be made
24 hours in advance to the Davao Pilots'
Association.
• Davao City and the Port of Davao has 2
government international seaports, that of the
Sasa International Port and the Sta. Ana Wharf,
and 9 privately owned ports. The City
Government is currently in the process of taking
over the management of the seaports to
modernize facilities, such as 3 big modern
quayside cranes and to expand capacity. In
addition, the Toril international Fish Port
Complex accommodates small and large-scale
fishing activities as well as provides among
others cold-storage facilities.
• Below is a list of major piers and wharves within
Davao Port.
8. The Port of Subic
The Port of Subic, Subic, Zambales, Philippines, is
located in the vicinity of Subic Bay, one of the
Philippines' finest harbors and most strategic base.
The Port of Subic is one of the busiest, largest,
historical and most important of the ports in the
Philippines.
Port of Subic-the former US Navy base and now a major
cruise and transshipment hub.
About
• "Subic Port", or the "Port of Subic" or "Subic Bay
Port" is one of the Philippines and Southeast
Asia's Major Seaport's, and also one of the
Philippine's Most Developed and busiest ports.
The Port area is located within the area known
as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBF), which is
known simply as Subic Bay. Subic Bay, the
Philippines' first free port, continues to be one
of the country's major economic engines with
more than 700 investment projects, including
the 4th largest shipbuilding facility in the world
(Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction
(HHIC)). Currently upgrading its port facilities
through the Subic Bay Port Development
Project and forging ties with the Clark Special
Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga to
form the Subic-Clark Corridor via the 45-
kilometer Subic-Clark Toll Road.
• The Port is operated and managed by the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority or SBMA. It covers
the fenced area of the former U.S. Naval Base
Subic Bay located in the southwest of Luzon
Island in the Philippines surrounded by the
municipality of Subic and Olongapo City in
Zambales, and Hermosa and Morong in Bataan
in concurrence of their Sangguniang Bayan
pursuant to Section 12 of RA 7227. The harbor
is facing the Zambales Mountain Range in the
west and the Subic Bay opening up to the
South China Sea. It is northwest of the Bataan
Peninsula and southwest of the Zambales
Province. Subic Bay Freeport is 110 kilometers
north of Manila. Manila Bay and the Bataan
Peninsula separate SBF from Manila. The
mountain ranges around the Subic Bay area
and the deep natural harbor provide excellent
and protected anchorage. In addition, these
features make the Port of Subic naturally
sheltered from typhoons as well as from the
effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
 • Subic Seaport has a natural harbor of up to 13.7
meters covering a total area of 41 hectares. It
has a total of 12 operational piers and wharves.
It presently has three characteristic container
terminals, a fertilizer terminal at the Boton
Wharf, a grains bulk terminal at the Leyte Wharf
and a general containerized cargo terminal
(Marine Terminal) at the Sattler Pier.
DETACHED BREAKWATER - breakwaters without any
constructed connection to the shore. This type of
system detached breakwaters are constructed away
from the shoreline, usually a slight distance offshore.
They are designed to promote beach deposition on
their leeside appropriate in areas of large sediment
transport.

• A new container terminal with two berths is
now being constructed through the Subic Bay
Port Development Project (SBPDP). The two
new berths have a total capacity of 300,000
TEUs each, enough to accommodate all types of
sea vessels- from small crafts, commercial
yachts, ferry boats to container vessels, cargo
ships, oil tankers and aircraft carriers, even the
Panamax and post-Panamax class container
vessels
BREAKWATERS
 “Breakwaters are structures constructed on
coasts as part of coastal defense or to protect
an anchorage from the effects of both weather
and longshore drift.”
 “A structure protecting a shore area, harbor,
anchorage or basin from wave disturbance.”
 “A barrier that breaks the force of waves, as
before a harbor.”
WHAT’S THE NEED OF BREAKWATER?
• “Built to provide shelter from waves to
manipulate the littoral/sand transport
conditions and thereby to trap some sand
entrance inside the Anchorage Area”
HEAD LAND BREAKWATERS (HB) - a series of
breakwaters constructed in an “Attached” fashion to
the shoreline & angled in the direction of predominant
waves -the shoreline behind the structures evolves into
a natural “crenulate” or log spiral embayment.
NEARSHORE BREAKWATERS - nearshore breakwaters
are detached, generally shore- parallel
• structures that reduce the amount of wave
energy reaching a protected area. They are
similar to natural bars, reefs or nearshore
islands that dissipate wave energy.
RUBBLE MOUND BREAKWATER - Rubble mounds are
frequently used structures which consists of armor
layer, a filter layer & core.
• It is a structure, built up of core of quarry run
rock overlain by one or two layers of large
rocks. Armor stone or precast elements are
used for outer armor layer to protect the
structure against wave attack. Crown wall is
constructed on top of mound to prevent or to
reduce wave
Layout of rubble mound breakwater

• “Built to reduce beach erosion”.

• “It is designed to block the waves and the surf.

Some breakwaters are below the water's
surface (a submerged breakwater)”.

• “Usually built to provide calm waters for

harbors and artificial marinas”.
• “These types of breakwaters dissipate the
TYPES OF BREAKWATERS
incident wave energy by forcing them to break
-Detached breakwater on a slope and thus do not produce appreciable
-Head land breakwaters reflection.”
-Nearshore breakwaters
VERTICAL BREAKWATER
-Rubble mound breakwater
-Vertical breakwater
 • A breakwater formed by the construction in a
regular and systematic manner of a vertical wall
of masonry concrete blocks or mass concrete,
with vertical and seaward face.
• Reflect the incident waves without dissipating
much wave energy.
• Wave protection in port/channel
• Protection from siltation, currents
• Tsunami protection
• Normally it is constructed in locations where
the depth of the sea is greater than twice the
design wave height.
WHARF
• Structures erected on the margin of Navigable
Waters where vessels can stop to load and
unload cargo.
• A platform built out from the shore into the
water and supported by piles; provides access
to ships and boats.
• A structure or platform of timber, masonry,
iron, earth, or other material, built on the shore
of a harbor, river, canal, or the like, and usually
extending from the shore to deep water, so that
vessels may lie close alongside to receive and
discharge cargo, passengers, etc.
• A Wharf is a man-made structure on a river or
by the sea, which provides an area for ships to
safely dock. Some are very intricate, with
multiple types of berths over a large area, and
navigable channels, and others are more
straightforward. A Wharf can contain quays and
piers and will normally have buildings within it
to service the ships. Because of their abundance
of unusual buildings and ready-made water
features, unused wharfs are often converted
into expensive retail and housing areas.
• There are public and private wharves. Public
wharves, which can be used with or without
paying a fee, ordinarily belong to a government
organization, such as a city or town. Private
wharves are owned or leased by individuals for
their own private use. Such a wharf may be
opened to the public in exchange for a one-time
payment or a rental fee. If the public is allowed
to use the private wharf, it becomes a quasi-
public facility that is open to all who are able to
pay the charges. Whether a particular wharf is
public or private depends mainly on its use,
rather than on its ownership.
SEVERAL TERMS PECULIAR TO WHARVES:
Wharfage - in its most general sense refers to the use
of a wharf in the usual course of navigation for such
practices as loading and unloading goods and
passengers.
Wharfinger - is an individual who maintains a wharf for
the purposes of receiving goods for hire.
Dock - refers to an enclosure for the reception of
vessels as well as a place where ships are built and
repaired.
5 OF BEST: WHARVES
1. Matiatia Wharf - Ocean View Rd, Waiheke
2. Sandy Bay Wharf - Rakino Island
3. Puhoi Historical Wharf - Puhoi Rd, Puhoi
4. Herne Bay Wharf - Herne Bay Road, Herne Bay
5. Cornwallis Wharf - off Huia Road, Manukau
PIER
 A pier is a raised structure typically supported
by well- spaced piles or pillars. Bridges,
buildings, and walkways may all be supported
by piers. Their open structure allows tides and
currents to flow relatively unhindered, whereas
the more solid foundations of a quay or the
closely spaced piles of a wharf can act as a
breakwater and are consequently more liable to
silting.
TYPES OF PIER
1. WORKING PIER - working piers were built for
the handling of passengers and cargo onto and
off ships or canal boats.
2. PLEASURE PIER - providing a walkway out to
sea, pleasure piers often include amusements
and theatres as part of the attraction. Such a
pier may be open air, closed, or partly open,
partly closed. Sometimes a pier has two decks.
 3. FISHING PIER - free piers are often primarily
used for fishing.
DOCKS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION
DOCKS
 Docks are enclosed areas for berthing the ships
to keep them afloat at a uniform level to
facilitate loading and unloading cargo.
 A dock is a marine structure for berthing of
vessels for loading and unloading cargo and
passengers.
CLASSIFICATION OF DOCKS:
Docks can be classified into following two categories:
1. Wet docks.
2. Dry docks.
Dry docks - the docks used for repairs of ships are
known as dry docks.
Wet docks - docks required for berthing of ships or
vessels to facilitate the loading and unloading of
passengers and cargo are called wet docks. These are
also known as harbor docks.
SHAPE OF DOCKS AND BASINS
Shape of dock or basin should be straight to facilitate
the ships to stand along them
The following are the shapes may be adopted as per site
conditions:
 Rectangular dock
 Diamond dock
 Inclined Quay type
Rectangular dock - the length and breadth should be
adjusted in such a way as to give maximum quayage
Diamond Dock - for the same perpendicular distance
between long sides, the long side could be extended
conveniently.
Inclined Quay dock - it consists of a number of
projecting quays into the dock or basin.
CLASSIFICATION OF DRY DOCKS:
Dry rocks are classified in the following five categories:
 Graving or dry docks.
 Floating dry dock.
 Marine railway dock.
 Ship lift dry docks.
 Slip ways.
Dry or graving dock - a dry dock is also known as
graving dock. It is long excavated chamber, having side
walls, a semi-circular end wall and a floor. The open end
of the chamber is provided with a gate and acts as the
entrance to the dock.
 Floating dry dock:
It may be defined as a floating vessel, which can lift ship
out of water and retain it above water by means of its
own buoyancy. It is a hollow structure made of steel or
R.C.C consisting of two walls and a floor with the ends
open.
Marine railway dock – the marine railway or slip dock
or slip way is an inclined railway extending from the
shore well into the water as the off there. This railway
track is used to draw out a ship needing repair out of
the water.
Lift dry dock - this is a constructed platform capable of
being lowered into and raised from water. Lowering
and raising is achieved by means of hydraulic power
applied through cylinders supporting the ends of cross
girders carrying the platform.
Ship lifts - as the name suggests, in the ship lift, the
ships are lifted bodily out of water. The ship lifts may be
electric, hydraulic. These lifts are used for launching as
well as for dry docking the ships.
Slipways – this technique is used for repairs as well as
for building of vessels. In its simplest form a slip way
consists of a inclined path of timber or stone laid on a
firm ground.
MODERN FACILITIES
STORAGE FACILITIES
MINISTERIAL ORDINANCE
ARTICLE 45
“The performance requirement for the storage facilities
shall be such that the storage facilities satisfy the
requirement specified by the Minister of Land,
Infrastructures, Transport and tourism so to enable the
safe and appropriate storage of cargo in consideration
of geotechnical characteristic, meteorological, sea
states and or other environmental condition as well as
the conditions of cargo handling.”
• A storage facility is a place or shelter where any
kind of shipped goods are placed in
intermediate storage along a shipping route,
usually at a point of transfer such as an air, rail,
trucking, or shipping cargo terminal.

CARGO SORTING FACILITIES

MINISTERIAL ORDINANCE
ARTICLE 41
“The performance requirement for cargo sorting
facilities shall be such that the facilities have stability
against self-weight, waves, earthquake ground motions,
impose load, wind and/or other actions.”

FACILITIES FOR SHIP SERVICES

MINISTERIAL ORDINANCE

ARTICLE 89

“The facilities shall be installed at appropriate locations,

corresponding to the condition of use by ships. The
facilities shall have structure which is capable of
preventing water pollution and the water hydrants shall
be maintained in a sanitary condition.”

MOVABLE PASSENGER BOARDING FACILITIES

MINISTERIAL ORDINANCE

ARTICLE 49

“The performance requirement of the fixed and

movable passenger boarding facilities shall be as
specified in the subsequent items for the safe and
smooth embarkation and disembarkation of passengers.
Damage due to self-weight, ground motions, imposed
load, winds or other actions shall not adversely affect
the continued use of the fixed or movable passenger
boarding facilities and not impair their functions.”