Most countries of the world are dependent on international trade. Over 90% of trade volumes are carried through maritime means where cargos are moved from an origin to their destination using various transportation system called “multimodalism” or “through-transport”. A port, due to its strategic geographic location, becomes the converging point of the system, thus allowing it to play a major critical role in this integrated logistic chain. 

In the era of globalisation and technological advances, ships are getting bigger and more sophisticated while logistic chains are becoming more complex. In response to this, port reception facilities are constantly transforming themselves to become more dynamic and efficient to cater to the demand of both the seaward as well as the landside movement of goods.