Australian engineers and contractors such as John Holland Constructions and Thiess Contractors have played a notable part in the design and construction of such terminals. Most modern ports have a 'landlord' port authority which owns the land and supplies essential services only, to the port such as roads, rail, water and electricity. Port operations are then privatised through long term leases or ownership arrangements using commercial port operators. The landlord port authority concentrates on future port development and environmental and regulatory issues. Sydney Ports Corporation is a landlord port with all operations privatised except emergency services and some bunkering and temporary mooring facilities.
Some ports are hub ports for the region, where goods are reloaded for on-shipment.
Singapore and Hong Kong are good examples of hub ports. Sydney is potentially a hub port for the eastern seaboard of Australia. Port Authorities are good referees for consultant firms as most have worked together on port upgrade. Newcastle Ports Corporation are interested in any consultant work overseas in the area of navigation systems, hydrography survey and piloting systems. POBC has been linked with Australian commercial firms in bidding for overseas projects.