Final answer:
Ports face challenges handling ships with drafts exceeding 48.6 meters, requiring deep and well-equipped facilities to accommodate large container ships that are critical for global trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ports have been challenged in handling ships with drafts exceeding 48.6 meters (159.4 feet). Modern container ships are essential for global trade, often carrying thousands of containers over large distances. Specifically, these ships can carry a tremendous volume of cargo, such as the typical ship operating between Shanghai and Los Angeles that carries 10,000 20-foot equivalent containers loaded with tens of thousands of tons.
These large vessels necessitate deep and well-equipped ports to accommodate their substantial drafts. However, not all ports are capable of handling such large drafts, which can lead to logistical challenges and a concentration of marine traffic in fewer ports capable of such accommodation. This has implications for port infrastructure development and the management of ballast water (BW), which is used to maintain stability on these large vessels when they are not fully loaded with cargo.