Nautica and Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal 20230309

A passenger terminal is a structure in a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

s and

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

s. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for example) ferry terminal, cruise terminal, marine terminal or maritime passenger terminal. As well as passengers, a passenger terminal sometimes has facilities for

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

s and other land vehicles to be picked up and dropped off by the water vessel.

Facilities

Passenger terminals may vary greatly in size. A small ferry terminal servicing a commuter ferry may just have the means to tie up the vessel and a waiting area for passengers. Even for a large, vehicle-carrying cross-sea ferry, the terminal at a small island location may be similar sized, with just a short ramp to enable vehicles to be driven onto the ferry. Passengers may be loaded onto a ship from the

wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

by a gangway or by a linkspan. Goods packed in containers may be driven onto the vessel by a vehicle which then detaches itself from the container and returns to shore. If the passenger terminal handles vehicles (which is common especially in cross-sea ferry terminals), it will usually have the facilities, such as appropriate markings on the ground, to enable the vehicles to line up in an orderly manner. Vehicles may be driven off the ship directly, if the vessel is a

Roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

ship. Passenger terminals in large ports usually have passenger facilities comparable with medium-sized airports, including waiting areas, ticketing desks, luggage deposit and retrieval areas, and food, beverage and other retail outlets. Ferry terminals for international ferries, such as those crossing between the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and continental Europe, also have customs and immigration inspection facilities and security control areas similar to an international airport. Historically, the largest passenger terminals were located in major coastal cities servicing large

s. With the demise of most ocean liners in the later half of the 20th century and the rise of

tourism in its stead, the largest passenger terminals today are those in " cruise home ports". In addition to extensive facilities to service passengers, these terminals must also be capable of handling the large amount of supplies required by large cruise ships and ocean liners. Major passenger ports (such as the Port of Southampton) tend to have numerous

dock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...

s and wharves, some with multiple berths, in order to handle more than one ship simultaneously. Some ports → a single, large passenger terminal to service multiple docks, while others have multiple terminal buildings, each servicing a dock or wharf, so that passengers can board vessels directly from the terminal.

Major passenger terminals

Australia

* Overseas Passenger Terminal, in Sydney *

Station Pier Station Pier is a historic Australian pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate Ferry, ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian He ...

, in Melbourne *

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal is an international cruise ship terminal in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The terminal is located at Luggage Point on the northern bank at the mouth of the Brisbane River in Pinkenba, Queensland, Pi ...

In Brisbane