Whats it like to walk around on a port? I had always been impressed by the massive scale of passenger and cargo ports from a distance and today I got my first close up look at one. After an early breakfast and bus ride we arrived at the impressive Limassol Port. We received a brief presentation from a staff member of Dubai Ports World (DPW), a global port operation company, about his company and then held a Q&A session. I really liked the presenter who was helpful answering questions and even gave us some life advice. After, we drove the tour bus around their operations area so we could see how their area works without any risk to our safety. Next we met with staff from EUROGATE, a company whose presence at the Limassol port specifically focuses on shipping and storage of containers, who were also extremely nice. They presented about the company, offered us snacks, and gave us a tour of their container storage yards and loading docks. What was really cool was when they lest us walk around near the port edge next to the giant gantry cranes. The sheer scale of those things is amazing and are incredible to witness up close. The level of engineering necessary to operate, assemble, and relocate each crane is insane. After the port tour we headed over to the old port in Limassol where they currently have the city’s marina. This area was beautiful, but in a way reminded me of home in Florida. Here we got lunch, visited the castle where Richard the Lion-heart allegedly got married, and walked around the marina and pier. I was exhausted after all of this and almost slept through the rest of the day, but luckily woke up in time to grab food at a small Armenian restaurant.

Some reflections for DPW: It was cool to see a company with more modern terminals and a large port presence. It was also interesting to see how the port was privatized. Originally, the port was under the control of the Cyprus Port Authority (CPA), but a few years ago the port was privatized and delegated to companies, like DPW and EUROGATE. DPW seemed to be quite successful in their tender to the CPA, receiving a 25 year contact and an extremely large chunk of the port, They even have an oil berthing area which sets them apart and gives them a competitive advantage compared to the other Cypriot ports. Personally, I was really interested in the autonomous aspect of ports and asked our presenter about it. He explained that autonomy is used quite extensively and it is alway an ideal to have more of it. The issue is it is a large investment from both DPW and the CPA, so it is something that would have to be mutually agreed upon. Ultimately, it is something that is likely to come into fruition within the coming years.

Reflections for EUROGATE: EUROGATE was really cool, as well. Being a container only port, they are more limited in a sense of diversification, but more efficient when it comes to wholistic logistics systems that move containers from storage and trucks to ships and vice versa. There are both pros and cons in that sense. The super tall straddle cranes that loaded and unloaded container trucks were fun to see in action. The would drive around the site and pick up containers from arriving trucks to bring them to their required storage location. They said it takes 70 hours of training to be licensed to operate one. Also, as part of safety standards, truck drivers had to exit their vehicle when a straddle crane was loading because the highest risk of accident and physical injury is with the truck’s cab. These actions promote safety without sacrificing much in terms of efficiency. I remember during the presentation the information system for the port was described and it was intriguing to see how they integrated all the different functions and data of the port into a centralized point. One of the results of this is that the time it takes to inspect and check the contents of a container has decreased between 7+ years ago and now from 48 hours to 15 minutes. That’s wild! As I mentioned earlier, being amongst the giant machinery also put into perspective humanity’s mechanical might.

Limassol is a great city with beautiful atmosphere. While it is not a megalopolis like New York City or Chicago, something about the size of everything such as the mountains in the distance, the port, the large residential and resort high-rises and the massive megaships parked in the Mediterranean subconsciously makes you reflect on the incredible size of the world and how small we really are. Yet, despite our size, we are capable of significant things.