Transformations  in
Business & Economics

ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES OF SMALL CONTAINER PORTS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE
Dalibor Pelevic, Milica Delibasic, Sasa Aksentijevic

ABSTRACT: The economy of scale and digitalisation represent serious challenges for small container ports. This article examines the experiences of small Southeast European (SEE) container ports, logistics routes and their future strategies. The main goal is to identify the steps that need to be taken to ensure the development of small container ports, with an emphasis on the Port of Bar in Montenegro and the Adriatic ports of Koper and Rijeka. The paper analyses the current trends in containerisation, the importance of the infrastructural connections, and the economic strength of the hinterland from the perspective of GDP (gross domestic product) as the most important influencing factor. The authors answered the question: What are the fundamental requirements for developing of a small container port? It starts with the hypothesis that the state (not only a port) also needs to take certain steps in order to respond to the aforementioned challenges successfully. Methods used are analysis, synthesis, generalisation, and comparison. The study findings provide insights into the development policies pertaining to small container ports, explaining the main prerequisites for the development. The findings may be used in the administrative frameworks of other little container ports as well as in the endeavours of national entities in the marine and transportation sectors.

KEYWORDS:  small container ports, Southeast Europe, the Port of Bar, GDP, infrastructure connection, digitalization

JEL classification:  L92; O18.