High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves. Harbour pilots and tugboats are often used to maneuver large ships in tight quarters as they approach and leave the docks. Ports which handle international traffic also have customs facilities. A prerequisite for a port is a harbor with water of sufficient depth to receive ships whose draft will allow passage into and out of the harbor.