Port (Harbour)

A coastal or inland-water location equipped or designated for vessels to berth, shelter, transfer people or cargo, or obtain services.

A port can include approach channels, anchorages, terminals, docks, marinas, repair facilities, customs areas and a harbour authority’s jurisdiction. Not every port performs cargo or passenger operations, and a port may exist within a harbour or extend beyond its naturally sheltered water.

Entry, reporting, pilotage, traffic, security, customs and environmental requirements vary. Current charts, port information and authority instructions should be consulted, and the harbour meaning is separate from port as the vessel’s left side.

What’s the difference between a Harbour and a Port?

Port

• Ports include docks, cranes, terminals, warehouses, customs offices, fuel stations, and more.
• Ports are where ships load and unload cargo or passengers.
• Every port is a place of business, while a harbour might not be.

Harbour

• It can be natural (a bay or inlet) or man-made (with breakwaters or sea walls).
• Harbours provide a safe place for vessels to take shelter, load, or unload.
• Not all harbours have facilities or infrastructure for commercial shipping.

So a port is what you use, and a harbour is where you use it.

Port

• A facility where vessels load or unload, cargo or passengers.
• Has docks, terminals or other infrastructure.

Harbour

• A sheltered body of water where vessels can anchor or moor.
• Protected by natural or artifical barriers.

Quick Analogy: