How do Ports work?

[Horatius]

Whenever I build a port it seems to just sit there doing nothing, and generating no money, so how do the port profits work?

[HopAlongBunny]

Ports require a cpl of things to generate income.

Trade goods in the province.
A merchant building of any type.
An unbroken line of ships to another sea area with ports.

The ports you connect to do not need to have trade goods, nor even a merchant. Your goods will flow to connected ports as long as you have a ship(s) in each sea region leading to the target. Ports with the same trade goods usually do not trade those goods.

You cannot trade with anyone you are at war with. If a hostile fleet enters any sea area between your port and a trade port, the sea link is broken; this goes for armies, provinces, commanders and kings as well: sometimes explaining the: oops! Why is everything rebelling!!??? situation.

[NodachiSam]

Ports that are hooked up to trade routes also get a small percentage of income as far as I know.

[Ludens]

Ports require a cpl of things to generate income.

Trade goods in the province.
A merchant building of any type.
An unbroken line of ships to another sea area with ports.

The ports you connect to do not need to have trade goods, nor even a merchant. Your goods will flow to connected ports as long as you have a ship(s) in each sea region leading to the target. Ports with the same trade goods usually do not trade those goods.
Correct, but the income from exports are shown on the information scroll of the merchant building. The income shown on the scroll of the port is derived from imports. If another faction has an active trade route to your province you will get 10 or 20% of what they make by exporting their trade goods (this works for them as well: if you export goods to another province, the faction that owns the province will get 10 or 20% as well).

[Alexios]

Correct, but the income from exports are shown on the information scroll of the merchant building.

Oh, so that's the way it works, eh? I have often wondered how you find this out. Thanks Luden!

[bamff]

Expanding the query to landlocked provinces...

Am I correct in assuming that to trade with these, you need a trade building in your prov, plus be able to trace an unbrken line through your own, friendly, or neutral provinces/ports?

For example, for my Italian province of Venice to trade with Switzerland I have to have a trade building in Venice, and can trace a line to switzerland through my HRC allies Tyrolian Prov to Switzerland. Correct?

[HopAlongBunny]

Landlocked goods will trade within the province only. Still needs a merchant building of some sort. It generates income (observed on income scroll) just nowhere near as much as sea trade.

[Ciaran]

Merchants in border provinces generate more profit than ones located at the centre of your realm. Keep that in mind, "trade" in MTW is mainly trade with foreigners.

[bretwalda]

Merchants in border provinces generate more profit than ones located at the centre of your realm. Keep that in mind, "trade" in MTW is mainly trade with foreigners.

That means that in this case landlocked provinces ARE trading with neighboring foreign provinces. It was stated otherwise one post above. Could someone clarify on that? :wink:

[Geezer57]

Landlocked border provinces that are adjacent to foreign provinces, where both your and foreign provinces meet the trade requirements (goods, merchant building, etc.), are able to trade outside "internal trade" only.