A hybrid BWM-DGRA approach for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of the ports

Ports are critical hubs within global logistics networks, playing a pivotal role in international trade by facilitating the flow of goods. Their operations continuously evolve to adapt to shifts in global trade dynamics and changes in related fields, such as shipping. Modern challenges, including increased environmental awareness, pressures of social responsibility, climate change, pandemics, and the need for economically sustainable operations, have significantly impacted port activities and have the potential to disrupt the global economy. To address these challenges, ports must integrate resilience and sustainability approaches that not only mitigate vulnerabilities but also enhance their performance and adaptability. This study aims to present a segmentation model from the approach of resilience and sustainability. The model is applied to assess Iranian ports. Initially, resilience and sustainability attributes were identified through a literature review. Subsequently, expert opinions were used to finalize 9 resilience and 18 sustainability attributes. The weights of these attributes were determined using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). Based on this, "Flexibility" was found to be the most important resilience attribute, while "Loading and Unloading", "Pollutant emissions", and "Employment rate" were most important for sustainability. Finally, the ports' positions within the segmentation model were determined using the Grey Dynamic Relational Analysis (DGRA) method. As a result, based on the standard deviation obtained for each port, 14 ports were placed in four segments. In this study, based on the segmentation model, the reason for each port's position in this segmentation model is assessed from the perspectives of resilience and sustainability. Additionally, suggestions are provided for the improvement of these ports based on their position in these two approaches.