Modern Developments in Transport: Sea transport

A container ship. Image credit MediaWiki

• Sea transport development has involved the modernization of old ports through deepening of harbours, building wharfs and quays and installing new port handling facilities to increase capacity and efficiency.
• For example in Mozambique, the Beira and Maputo ports are being modernized.
• New ports have been built with new excellent handling facilities.
• These include Tema in Ghana.
• There is also use of containers in ships as on roads.
• Since ports are break-of-bulk points of transport for cargo and passengers, a faster method of transferring cargo and passengers from water to land-based transport has been developed.
• This is called the roll-on, roll-off system or ro-ro in short where for example, cars being exported are rolled onto ships, sailed across oceans and then rolled off at the destinations.
• Huge entrepots have been built to ease congestion on older established ports.
• Examples include Europoort, the entrepot for Europe’s port Rotterdam in Netherlands.
• For passengers’ ocean liners, bigger, more comfortable vessels have been built at ship yards with state-of-the-art bedrooms, relaxation decks and buffet rooms.
• Safety has been improved through use of radar and early warning signs.
• Navigation has been improved greatly through the use of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS)
• The use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel which is cleaner and more efficient
• Hull paint technologies to reduce fuel consumption
• Specialised ships are also making a comeback
• Green technologies that do not harm the environment

To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page