With ports being multifaceted organizations whose functioning depends on numerous functions, port governance involves decisions regarding many different tasks. Each task is related to one of the following six groups of port governance activities:
- Port policy formation;
- Public authority functions;
- Technical management of port areas;
- Market and price regulations (including competition);
- Management of concession agreements; and
- Management of emerging issues;
These interlinked tasks might be the responsibility of one or more, public or private, entities operating at the port or another level.