Identification of weather trends for use as a component of risk management for port operations

Efficiency in modern shipping must not come at the expense of undertaking avoidable risks. The complexity of most activities in shipping requires a cooperative effort made by specialists to comprehend the uncertainties of risk and to seek measures for its reduction. Such an effort, however, must not hinder operations but aim at promoting productivity by addressing those factors that have a negative effect on it. This imperative need to deal with the problems of risk led to the development of a series of risk-related disciplines. Identifying the factors that create hazards and finding an effective way of minimizing them, whenever possible, leads to smoother operations, better time frames and, eventually, lower costs. One of the factors that can generate risks and reduce productivity in maritime-related operations is weather. Like any other factor that bears uncertainties and risks, weather hampers actual port operations (such as the loading/unloading of goods and passengers), but it also leads to problems for a whole chain of upstream and downstream industries. In this study, an attempt is made to identify and register hazardous weather trends in the Port of Limassol (used as a case study for Mediterranean ports). An up-to-date picture of the prevailing weather conditions in the area is presented with the aim to provide vital information for risk assessment purposes, both in the short and in the long term.