Methodology for assessing the competitiveness of sea ports

Abstract

The article deals with the actual problem of determining the main directions of increasing the competitiveness of seaports and improving the methodology of its evaluation. The multifaceted nature of modern competition determines the diversity of authors' positions in determining the essence of competitiveness The relevance of the problems of increasing the competitiveness of Ukrainian seaports is confirmed in the following legal acts: the National Transport Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030, the Strategy for the development of Ukrainian seaports for the period up to 2038, the Law of Ukraine "On Seaports of Ukraine", the Maritime Doctrine of Ukraine for the period by 2035. The article considers a methodological approach to assessing the competitiveness of the port of Antwerp using a Likert psychometric scale based on an expanded version of Porter's "diamond" approach, which includes four blocks: factor conditions; demand; related industries and firm strategy; structure and rivalry. The introduction of the diamond framework has expanded the definition of the strengths and weaknesses of a specific port cluster, and has made it possible to make a significant contribution to the development of port policy and management. The main directions of increasing the competitiveness of Ukrainian ports have been determined, namely: compliance with the requirements for agency companies, improvement of their financial capacity and reputation; provision of quality freight forwarding and warehousing services; improving the legal framework that facilitates the implementation of national maritime transport legislation to EU and worldwide requirements.