Port Extranjero

Port Extranjero is a seaport managed by the Port Extranjero Authority, a Burgoignesc public-private partnership. It occupies 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) of land and water with 43 miles (69 km) of waterfront. The port's channel depth is 16 m (53 feet). The port has 25 cargo terminals, 82 container cranes, 8 container terminals, and 182 km (113 miles) of on-dock rail. Promoted as the "Gateway to the Cusinaut", the port is located in Verduras Bay, approximately 22.5 km (14 miles) west of downtown Extranjero. The port was initially opened on December 9, 1926, after 3 years of construction. The land the port is built on was given to Burgundie under the provisions of the Treaty of Foxhey, in 1923 which exchanged the land to Burgundie in exchange for security guarantees and protection for Canespa. Since that time the port has expanded and reconfigured numerous times to make the maximum advantage of the land grant and has been used as the primary point of departure for most of the exports leaving Canespa. The port's top imports were X, Y, Z. In 2032, the port's top exports were potatoes, grain, flour, cereals, pet and animal feed, and soybeans. In 2030 the port's top three trading partners were Burgundie, X, and Y.

In 2002, the port authority, together with O'Shea Infrastructure and Design, Estia-Odoneru Gypsum, Salt, and Aggregate, Lansing Lines, Canespan infrstructure company(ies), embarked on a massive automation project that was completed in 2027. The port was optimized for automated gantry cranes, larger deeper draft ships, and a small naval base and naval air station was added to the footprint for a limited Burgoignesc taskforce presence. Now the port operates with high levels of efficiency and is directly linked the just-in-time logistics networks in both Burgundie and Canespa.

Ownership
Per the 1923 Treaty of Foxhey, the Port Extranjero was given to the nation of Burgundie. Per the Burgoignesc Code of Laws, Temporal Sins, and Their Punishments it is ruled as an "uninhabited extra-territorial exclave", thus it therefore defaults its civil laws and statues to that of the country it is within, in this case Canespa, despite remaining a sovereign entity of The Burgundies.

History
Port Extranjero's formative years, from its inauguration in 1926 to the mid-20th century, were marked by incremental developments. Established on December 9, 1926, under the provisions of the Treaty of Foxhey, the port rapidly asserted its role as a vital link in the burgeoning trade relations between Burgundie and Canespa. The initial decades saw the port becoming a linchpin for Canespa's export marketing efforts, now that it finally had access to the modern infrastructure to export its goods to a global market that was exploding as the recovery from the devastation of the First Great War was finalized. It was also a period that saw a large global trend away from rural farming life towards urban life as the mechanization of industries and injection of government funding during the First Great War spurred a marked uptick in manufacturing worldwide. This left a general deficit in food production to consumption that Canespa was uniquely positioned to take advantage of. As the 1920s turned into the 1930s Port Extranjero set about its first port expansion building large warehouses that took advantage of burgeoning air conditioning technologies that, when paired with a growing fleet of Merchant Marine of Burgundie s meant that Burgundie was able to move Canespan goods across the entire globe and to store produce and wait for better offers as opposed to taking offers as they came to reduce spoilage. In 1929 a rail link from the regular freight rail network of Canespa was made to the port facility, increasing output exponentially. During this time Canespa and Burgundie were making money faster then they could spend it. In the early 1930s, a massive expansion of the port was undertaken with the construction of a breakwater three miles out and over two miles in length. In addition to the construction of this outer breakwater, an inner breakwater was built off the western shore with docks for seagoing ships and smaller docks for local commerce. In 1934, Port Extranjero was regarded by many as one of the top 5 most advanced ports in the world.

Second Great War
During the Second Great War development in the port stagnated, but the need to feed the war effort continued to make it a busy place. Because of the high volume of use and traffic the port was in a state of overuse by the end of the war in 1943. There was not a lot of money from Burgundie being allocated to the renovation of non-battle-damaged infrastructure, so the port limped along, while still moving a lot of cargo. In the late 1940s there were investments made to deepen the channel to allow for the Burgoignesc s which had been transformed into cargo ships for the Merchant Marine of Burgundie. In the 1950s and 60s the facilities were updated again to allow for newer, larger ships to berth. By 1964 there were 15 ship berths, 47 cranes, and 104 km of on-dock rail. In 1968 the Merchant Marine of Burgundie delivered 20 containers to the port, beginning the port's shift to containerization. In 1983, the port handled one million containers in a year for the first time.

Operation Kipling and Containerization
In the mid 20th century, containerization emerged as a game-changer in the shipping industry, offering standardized containers that could seamlessly transition between ships, trucks, and trains. Initially developed by Lansing Lines in the 1950s, containerization did not see wide adoption until Operation Kipling when the need to transport cargoes from the Burgoignesc Metropole and Equatorial Ostiecia to far flung battlefields in Audonia. The Burgoignesc Security Forces and the Armed Forces of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea invested heavily in the concept itself as well as in the infrastructure to embark and disembark containers. Port Extranjero, recognizing the potential of this innovation, embarked on a comprehensive update of its infrastructure to accommodate and maximize the benefits of containerized shipping in the 1970s. Infrastructure upgrades became a priority, with the port investing in state-of-the-art container terminals, stacking cranes, and container yards. The aim was to streamline the movement of containers, optimize storage capacity, and enhance overall efficiency. As part of the containerization initiative, Port Extranjero expanded its on-dock rail facilities, to support larger gantry cranes. This extension of rail infrastructure not only connected the port to inland destinations but also integrated Port Extranjero even more into the broader network of Canespan railways.

The impact of containerization on Port Extranjero's economy has been profound. The efficient handling of containers translated into quicker turnaround times for ships, reducing congestion and enhancing the overall productivity of the port. The standardized nature of containers streamlined the logistics process, leading to cost savings for businesses and fostering a more competitive trading environment. Port Extranjero's strategic location as the "Gateway to the Cusinaut" became even more critical with the adoption of containerization. The port's geographical position allowed it to serve as a key node in global trade routes, facilitating the movement of goods between Burgundie, Canespa, and beyond.

During this era, most of the goods being exported from the port were going directly towards the military campaigns and humanitarian efforts associated with Operation Kipling. This secured massive shipping contracts for Canespa and the port which saw ever increasing profitability. However, this was not to last forever. In the late 80s after the war had ended and the direct aid by Burgundie to the affected companies started to wind down the demand for Canespan good waned. Burgundie was caught between trying to support the countries of Audonia becoming agriculturally independent and the desire to continue to prioritize Canespan food stuffs. The relationship between Burgundie and Canespa was tense during this period as they tried to establish a new balance.

Contemporary Port Operations and Automation
In 2002, the port authority, together with O'Shea Infrastructure and Design, Estia-Odoneru Gypsum, Salt, and Aggregate, Lansing Lines, Canespan infrstructure company(ies), embarked on a massive automation project that was completed in 2027. The port was optimized for automated gantry cranes, larger deeper draft ships, and a small naval base and naval air station was added to the footprint for a limited Burgoignesc taskforce presence. Now the port operates with high levels of efficiency and is directly linked the just-in-time logistics networks in both Burgundie and Canespa.

deValliuer Maritime Institute and Research Center
Built in 1993, the deValliuer Maritime Institute and Research Center, commonly referred to as the deValliuer Institute, is a Burgoignesc-Canespan dual-accredited 4-year academic institution and think-tank, that was a response to the downturn in global trade requirements for Canespan agricultural goods after Operation Kipling. The deValliuer Institute sought to bring together the great minds of Burgundie and Canespa to address maritime and economic issues associated with the late 80s and early 90s. Since that time, the deValliuer Institute has become a standard maritime institute to train prospective Canespan merchant mariners.

The Maritime Institute holds a "pleb summer" prior to the start of the academic year with rigorous physical fitness and team building exercises, akin to military boot camp. In August, up to 100 candidates are chosen from the "pool of plebs" to be invited to join the Institute for the academic year. The school has a nearly 96% graduation rate, with all graduates receiving a commission in the Merchant Marine of Burgundie. Since the first graduating class in 1998, the number of Canespan officers on ships sailing from Port Extranjero has risen from 3 total officers to 8% of the total officer pool. The Institute owns scale replicas of many ships that they use to navigate scale replicas of the port as well as a number of other port facilities and canals around the world in a retaining pond behind the port facilities.

The think-tank, the deValliuer Research Center is still reviewing and making proposals on how to improve not only the port, but the ability of the port to support and expand the Canespan economy. It hires experts from both Burgundie and Canespa and hosts many lectures, brainstorms, whiteboarding sessions, and town halls with key Canespan partners to ensure that they remain on top of the economic and political landscape. One benefit of the Research Center's independent status is that it can meet with both Canespan establishment figures as well as those on the fringe. If an idea from the fringe makes economic and political sense, the Research Center provides a face-saving recommendation to the Canasta Company, without the Company having to recognize that the idea was not from within the company. To maintain this face-saving atmosphere, the Research Center seals all of its communications to respect the power and influence of the Canasta Company. While it is rare that the company takes these recommendations, it is recognized as a vital opportunity for future reform that maintains the supremacy of the Company.

Patrol Station St. Emiline
Patrol Station St. Emiline is a naval station with three medium-sized berths (designed to accommodate ships up to the size of a ) and a single airstrip for medium transport aircraft (designed to safely land and take off with a ) with hanger facilities for three aircraft of the same size. It is owned by the Port Extranjero Authority and leased and operated by the Navy of Burgundie. The lease is an evolution in the long-standing fleet basing agreement that Burgundie and Canespa have. The lease stipulates that the base is not Burgoignesc Security Forces sovereign territory as is observed in many over-seas military base leases but is a dedicated berthing and air transit hub for the Navy of Burgundie in its execution of the maritime protection commitments it has made to Canespa and to maintain the Freedom of the seas especially as it pertains to the maintenance of commerce between Burgundie and Canespa. It also does not preclude the Navy of Burgundie from exercising the existing fleet basing agreement that exists between the two nations. Patrol Station St. Emiline is operated by Canespan civilians who pass a rigorous selection process to become Burgoignesc naval civilian employees and are subject to constant security checks as part of their jobs. The station employs 216 Canespans in this manner. St. Emiline is also a coordination point between the Burgoignesc Security Forces and the armed forces of Canespa as well as an advanced radar array and weather tracking point used by the Burgoignesc Burgoignesc Ministry of Emergency Management and its Canespan counterpart.