Port performance evaluation. Case study: Ports in the Black Sea basin

Water transport is one of the essential elements of international economic exchanges. Over 85% of international trade is achieved through this mode of transport, which remains the cheapest and at the same time an indispensable factor for meeting demand for goods and services. The development of a country's economy, which is open to the sea, requires, among other things, the stimulation of maritime and river transport and, implicitly, of port activity. Improving port system performance reduces transport costs, and indirectly can ensure increased competitiveness of the economic sectors at the level achieved by other EU countries. This is only possible through innovative management to ensure the identification and implementation of quality improvement solutions and optimization of port logistics processes. The paper summarizes the results of the research on: the main features of port services, the quality of port services, port system components and port competitiveness. The comparative analysis of port development priorities was based on a set of criteria accepted internationally. The research carried out included both the highly developed ports and those in the average performance area. The conclusions of the paper highlight several relevant aspects that could be detailed in order to find solutions for increasing port competitiveness.