Port of Call

Table of Contents☰

About Port of Call:

It is an intermediate stop for a ship on its scheduled journey for cargo operation or transporting supplies or fuel. It is a port where a ship stops except its home port.
These are the ports which originally developed as calling points on main sea routes where ships used to anchor for refuelling, watering and taking food items. Later on, they developed into commercial ports.
- Examples: Aden, Honolulu and Singapore are good examples.
It is also called port of refuge, port of call is usually not a part of a ship’s itinerary. The vessel may “call” the said intermediate port and need a stopover due to various reasons, like:
- Cargo operations (cleaning, repairs, or maintenance)
- Stock up supplies (fuel, food, etc.)
- Load and unload cargo
- Unforeseen emergencies
Depending on the reason for stopping, port of call can also be divided into subcategories, like:

Dry harbor (for vessel maintenance), Cargo harbor (for cargo dispersal) and Fish harbor (for dropping fishes), etc.

Q1: What is a Dry Port?

A dry port is a port that is away from the sea. It is more inland and connected to a seaport with either a paved road or railway. Dry ports are terminals where cargo brought over on ships is transshipped. These inland ports often include storage facilities for a massive quantity of goods and are used for customs clearance of those goods.

Source: Spain denied port of call to ship carrying arms to Israel