Port calls refer to a ship stopping on its route to load or unload goods, supply necessities, or allow passengers to disembark from the ship. For a port authority, this call means reserving a docking space, and for a ship agent, it is an opportunity to provide services.
Definition and Characteristics of Port Calls
A port call is a visit of a ship to a port, marked by its arrival and departure. During this time, the ship may load or unload cargo, embark or disembark passengers, or refuel and undergo repairs. Each port call is a record of a ship event that over time becomes a time series of arrivals and departures and can be filtered by port, country, ship type, flag, capacity, owner, operator, or commercial manager.
Read more: Launch of Sister Box by IMEC and The Hood to Support Women Mariners
Port Call Data and Business Trends
Port call data can be related to several relevant features that add context, including event data that encompasses arrival and departure times, port or terminal, and direction (arrival or departure). Additionally, ship information such as ship type, dimensions, capacity, and fuel and engine specifications are also important. This data can assist in business analyses and forecasting trade routes.
Port traffic typically reduces to the number of arrivals and departures. This figure is useful, but it can obscure structural changes. Two periods may show the same volume of calls while the ships behind them have grown larger, come under different ownership, or are managed by different operators.
Changes in Trade Routes
Maritime trade from the ports of Ukraine's Black Sea has been severely disrupted since February 2022. Meanwhile, the departures of cargo ships from the port of Chornomorsk indicate a clearer pattern of traffic return. These departures are designed for an export corridor and filter out unrelated traffic by excluding cargo ships.
Moreover, changes in route operators can also have significant impacts. For example, in the Strait of Gibraltar, the frequently used link between Tarifa in Spain and Tangier Ville in Morocco was long associated with FRS Iberia/Maroc, which was transferred to DFDS in 2023. This change in operator can lead to major shifts in traffic.
Analysis of Port Call Data for Planning
Port call data serves various groups, each with different questions regarding these fundamental activities. Port authorities want to know if today's mix of ships is suitable for tomorrow's infrastructure. Similarly, ship owners and fleet managers want to compare their activities with their peers, and fuel planners and energy transition experts are looking for evidence of ships using alternative fuels.
Ultimately, port calls act not only as a data point but also as a tool for identifying trends and changes in commercial markets. This data can help analysts detect early signals of the emergence, decline, or improvement of a route.
Read more: Russia's Attacks on Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure Leave 600,000 People Without Power · Changing the Flags of Sanctioned Ships to Nicaraguan Numbers Near Hormuz
