The purpose of this introductory ch

The purpose of this introductory chapter is to introduce and
stress a few basic points which need to be made at the beginning.
Many of these points will be repeated and amplified at
later stages throughout the book where the analysis of the
topic requires greater detail.
Throughout the book I have included some historical details
going back to the beginning of the last century. This is included
not just to entertain those with historical interests but
to try to give an understanding to those wishing to grasp how
and why a modern port operates and functions. Most of the
world’s major ports invested heavily in developing their infrastructure
during the last century. Much of this is still visible
and in many cases this heritage still forms part of the
infrastructure that the modern port manager and port operator
has to deal with. There can be very few, if any, large commercial
undertakings which have to perform in the modern
world encumbered with such a legacy from the past and, until
plastic disposable ports are developed, presumably this problem
will continue. This is why port management needs to get
its forecasting right. However, it is not just the geographical
location and physical design that history can explain but also,
and perhaps more importantly, the Zeitgeist and working culture
of port labour can in most cases be really understood
only when studied in its historical context. Further, as
stressed in the Preface, modern transport professionals must
be able to adapt to, and anticipate, the implications of
changes in the industry. Perhaps one of the most important
aspects of modern management is the ability to manage
change and it is hoped that this book will give an insight as to
how port management has coped with change over the last
century. The analysis of past performance is the basis of virtually
all forecasting and our ability to anticipate the optimum
solutions to the port decisions required in the next century
can be focused by insights gained from the last.