The port planning process is generally designed to include a number of tasks which examine in turn the various aspects of the project in order to produce the overall port masterplan. 

The masterplan (often in the form of a layout drawing) will define the future long-term development of the port area (often over the next 25 years) and also define the immediate requirements (often to be built in the next 5 years).  Construction in the intervening period (of 20 years) will be timed to suit the speed of growth of the traffic being handled by the port but it will be generally in accordance with the masterplan so that all development is carried out in a planned and orderly fashion.

The main steps in this process can generally be defined as follows, however this will be adjusted to suit the individual requirements of each project:-


Step 1 - Review of Existing Situation
  
This will generally include an inspection and report of the existing port facilities, the port equipment, staff and management, the types and volumes of cargo, the port tariffs and profitability.  Study of port efficiency including cargo handling, stacking, customs and police procedures, may also be made.  Land-use in and around the port site will be identified.  In the case of a completely new port, alternative sites for port location will be identified.


Step 2 - Traffic Forecasts

The next step will be forecasting possible future traffic levels for the port.  This may be done in a number of ways.  At its simplest level a mere extrapolation of past trends may be used to estimate future growth.  However this approach is likely to be over-simplistic and it is likely that macro-economic modelling will be carried out – this will reflect a number of additional factors such as the government’s long term development goals, global trends and business cycle effects.  It may also include competitor analysis for adjacent ports.  Sectoral studies may also be carried out by interviewing potential port users to incorporate their long term plans into the port masterplan.  Finally, an allowance may be made for the marketing strategy of the port; those with an aggressive policy being more likely to attract additional trade.  Traffic forecasts are generally prepared for High, Medium and Low development alternatives for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 year periods.  It will include imports and exports.


Step 3 - Preparation of Preliminary Designs

This step essentially is a preliminary plan of how the port will need to develop from the existing situation in Step 1 to carry the traffic identified in Step 2.  It will include assumptions on improvements in cargo handling rates and increases in ship sizes, thus leading to the required numbers and sizes of future berths.  Ship queuing theory will be used to ensure ship waiting times (and therefore costs) are not excessive.  The required sizes of cargo stacking areas will be calculated.  In parallel with this, the practicability of extending the port by the required amount will be examined, with new quays, breakwaters, dredged areas and storage areas proposed.  Surveys may be required so that engineering designs can be prepared; this is likely to include topographic and bathymetric survey, borehole drilling and soil testing – we will specify, organise and supervise these.  We will also look at meteorological conditions – rainfall, winds which will affect ship berthing activities, waves, currents and sediment transport.  This part of the study will tend to concentrate on the long term development, ensuring that the land (and sea) availability will be sufficient to allow the long term development of the port under the highest traffic forecast.  A preliminary assessment of costs (with phasing) will also be made.