Today, we toured the Piraeus Container Terminal at the Port of Piraeus, the largest port in Greece and one of the largest in Europe. The Piraeus Port serves as a central location for the loading and unloading of tens of thousands of tons of cargo daily from incoming and outgoing vessels. The port is operated 24 hours a day, as ships are constantly coming and going with tight deadlines for travel. For a portion of the visit, we were able to drive around the port to see all three piers at the port. The first pier is strictly for cargo, whereas the second and third piers have vessels. As we drove around, I had the opportunity to see what an operating port looks like and how all of the moving parts come together. In short, it was certainly a special experience. One thing that surprised me was the amount of cargo at the port. We were driving around for about 10-15 minutes, and we did not pass a single section of the port that did not have stacked containers. After all, in just the first pier, which is the smallest, about one million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) can be stored, which is absolutely mind-blowing. Another surprising aspect was the size of the ships. On our tour, we passed a vessel from Spain that had at least five layers of containers stacked on each other, and I was simply amazed by the capacity of the ship. It made me appreciate both the engineers who worked to build the ship and the engineers who track the logistics of loading and unloading the ship. Maritime shipping is a fascinating industry, and I could see myself possibly getting more involved in this field as I close in on a career decision.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures at the port. Instead, I have included a picture of myself, Ian, and Michael on our way to the port!