Ports have traditionally been studied using the Anyport model developed by Professor Bird in the 1960s. According to it, the port and the city are born close to each other, for safety reasons often as deep inland as is possible based on the navigability of the archipelago or the river.
In the second stage of Bird’s model, the growth of the port’s wharves, cargo handling operations and transport routes begins to conflict with the city and its growth. The port is gradually moving its growth outside the city.
In the third stage of the model, the port specializes in one or more product groups, for example containers, bulk cargo or passengers. As the amount of cargo continues to increase, the port’s storage and handling areas also grow considerably. Often at this stage, the port moves to a completely new area, and the old area remains for the use of less disruptive port activities or is gradually taken over for residential or cultural use.
Ports therefore change and move. Although cargo ports all over the world are moving more and more outside the city centers, passenger and cruise ports are still often located in city centers. Tourists then have good connections and a short journey from the city to the port. This is the case in, for example, Helsinki, Turku, Stockholm, Tallinn and Mariehamn. However, this passenger traffic or combined passenger and cargo traffic can also be experienced as a disturbing and non-urban activity – port operations in city centers are no longer considered necessary.
How does the port get licence to operate?
Ports usually see the acceptability of their existence through their actual operations, such as on the basis of the ESG model, i.e. economic, social and environmental sustainability. Are the ports financially sustainable – do they generate financial benefit for their owner and benefit shipping companies and shippers; are they environmentally sustainable – do they reduce their harmful environmental effects and prevent accidents; and are they socially sustainable in terms of, for example, equality, legality of operations and working conditions?
Recently, I have sat in dozens of events where we talk about the role of ports as part of the green transition of shipping. Today, ports are no longer just places where goods move from land to sea safely and in compliance with regulations, but ports also play an important role in helping shipping companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Is shore electricity available in ports, and what about hydrogen or methanol?
Another perspective on the role of ports in the green transition of shipping is operational efficiency. The faster the cargo is handled, the faster the ship can get back to sea. When time is saved in the port, the ship can drive at sea more slowly and save fuel. The efficiency of operations requires not only the efficiency of physical operations, but also the management of various documents and permits. Various digital systems play an important part in the transport chain passing through ports.
Have the Soft values of the harbor been forgotten?
In 2008, Eric van Hooydonk studied the Port of Helsinki through his theory of the Soft values of ports. According to him, the townspeople’s support for ports can only be restored if also other than just social and economic values are considered. He called these other values the soft values of Ports.
The soft values of ports can be divided into tangible and intangible. Intangible soft values include the port’s importance as an object of worship, the subject of myths and legends, a place of refuge, a bridge between different historical eras, a channel for products and free trade, an initiator of people’s intellectual development, a source of cosmopolitanism, and a source of artistic inspiration and civic pride. Material soft values are related to the port’s function as a provider of sensory stimulant, a preserver of architectural traditions, a unique human landscape, a platform for urban planning and architecture experimentation, a tourist destination and a recreation area.
In his report from 2008, Van Hooydonk proposes several different measures that the Port of Helsinki should take to take care of its soft values, such as developing public relations and organizing events. Now 15 years later, it is a pleasure to say that several of Van Hooydonck’s ideas have already been implemented. Events have been organized and ecological goals and projects have been included as part of the ports’ operations.
Case: Tallinn’s Reidi tea
But do the soft values of the Ports have anything left to offer when, due to the ISPS regulations, the ports are in any case behind the fence, far from the city dwellers? This spring, a master’s thesis was completed at the Estonian Maritime Academy, which considered the development of Reidi Tee, the most important truck traffic street in the port of Tallinn, from the perspective of the port’s soft values. Reidi tee is not just a street or truck road, but a wonderful beach boulevard that connects the center of Tallinn to the Pirita beach area.
The results of the master’s thesis are in line with Van Hooydonk’s vision. The Reidi Tee development project has significantly promoted the accessibility and attractiveness of the port area, and it has developed relations between the port and residents. On the other hand, the Reidi tee project was expensive and faced a lot of opposition beforehand. In retrospect, however, we can say that the project improved the connections between the port and the urban area, especially the development of access to the beach area and leisure services.
One can look at the harbor from many angles. Regarding city ports, Van Hooydonck’s soft values can help in avoiding conflicts and in strengthening the common will of the city residents and the port. The master’s thesis on the port of Tallinn says that in addition to the economic and functional functions of the ports, the soft values of the ports help to develop the wider impact of the ports on society and culture.
Sources:
Eric Van Hoyydonk, Helsinki, North European Port Icon, Publications of Port of Helsinki, Serie B 2008:8.
Kristel Rauk, Sadamate pehmete väärtuste roll Tallinna linna ja AS-i Tallinna Sadam koostöös Reidi tee projekti näitel, Master’s thesis, Tallinn University of Technology, 2024.
The article was previously published in Finnish in Navigator Magazine, an online magazine for maritime professionals, on June 15, 2024.
Photo: Kaupo Kalda / Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau
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