Practice
Business Continuity
Aspect contributions
How this practice contributes to the green port aspects.
| Aspect | Role | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Management | Core | - |
| Regulatory Compliance | Secondary | Continuity planning supports compliance with safety and emergency response regulations |
| Climate Adaptation | Secondary | Business continuity addresses climate hazards and supports operational resilience |
| Workforce Standards and Engagement | Secondary | Emergency preparedness includes workforce safety and training |
Summary
Business continuity planning prepares ports for disruptions to enable critical port functions to continue or recover rapidly. This may include, among others, identification of essential services and assets; continuity plans for natural disasters, pandemics, or supply shocks; backup systems and alternative operating procedures; emergency response coordination with authorities; periodic testing and drills; and scalable plans for smaller ports.
For DMC ports, business continuity planning is particularly important given the exposure of many DMCs to tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. The COVID 19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of continuity plans for maintaining critical trade flows during prolonged disruptions. Investments in continuity planning can minimize economic and social disruption, protect critical supply chains, enhance disaster preparedness, reduce recovery time and costs, and support community resilience.
Details
Business continuity management (BCM) provides a structured approach to identifying critical port functions and developing plans to maintain or rapidly restore them following disruptions. ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management Systems provides an international standard specifying requirements for planning, establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining, and continually improving a documented management system for business continuity (ISO, 2019).
Business continuity planning in ports typically encompasses, among others, identification of essential services (such as vessel operations, cargo handling, customs processing, emergency response); business impact analyses assessing the consequences of disruption; recovery time objectives (RTOs) specifying target times to resume critical activities at a defined acceptable capacity, within the maximum tolerable period of disruption; recovery point objectives (RPOs) specifying acceptable data loss for information systems; and documented continuity plans with backup systems, alternative procedures, and emergency contacts.
Common disruption scenarios addressed in port continuity plans include, among others, natural disasters (typhoons, earthquakes, flooding); infrastructure failures (power outages, IT system failures); pandemics and other health emergencies; cyber attacks and information security incidents; labor disruptions and industrial action; and supply chain shocks affecting fuel, spare parts, or essential services. Climate change is projected to increase natural hazard risk to ports (Verschuur et al., 2023).
Port of Long Beach experience during the COVID 19 pandemic illustrates the value of formal continuity planning. The port activated an internal Business Recovery Task Force working with customers, industry partners, labor, and government agencies to maintain cargo operations (Maritime Executive, 2020). The port remained operational throughout the pandemic, with documented cargo throughput of 628,205 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in May 2020, a 9.5 percent increase compared to year earlier levels.
In the ASEAN region, the Port Authority of Thailand plans to convert all five of its ports into smart and green ports by 2030 (International Trade Administration, 2024), and its smart port roadmap includes business and operational continuity and zero downtime targets (Port Authority of Thailand, 2025).
At Laem Chabang Port, 171 fire, police, HAZMAT, medical and other incident response personnel took part in a 2025 exchange with the Washington National Guard, part of an all hazards training partnership held twice a year since 2005 (National Guard Bureau, 2025).
For smaller DMC ports, scalable continuity plans can be developed that identify core essential functions, document simple backup arrangements, and conduct basic drills.
Enabling factors
ISO 22301 business continuity management standard; national disaster management frameworks; port specific emergency response regulations; MARPOL and ISPS Code requirements.
Business continuity management software; emergency notification systems; backup power and communications infrastructure; redundant IT systems; maritime surveillance and early warning systems.
Continuity requirements in critical service provider contracts; redundancy specifications in infrastructure procurement.
Coordination with emergency services, military, and government agencies; multi agency exercise programs; knowledge sharing with other ports on continuity approaches.