Investigation of the world trends of the development of seaports

Abstract

The world trends of the development of seaports in recent years are investigated in the article. During the last twenty years, the volume of world seaborne trade has doubled, especially in the sectors of dry cargo and container traffic. This is due to the increase in trade in the southern hemisphere and the continued strong demand for iron ore in China. In terms of regional influence, Asia continues to dominate as the primary transshipment site, then follow North and South America, Europe, Oceania and Africa. The fall in oil prices has affected the volume of supply and sea trade, in particular the tanker trade, its share fell to 28.7 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, lower fuel costs make it possible to reduce the costs of ship operators and the rates paid by the shipper. This in turn could stimulate demand for maritime transportation services and the increase in marine cargo flow. The research allowed to identify macro factors that have a significant effect on the activity of the enterprises of the maritime industry (economic, political, technological) and to recommend the development directions for each group. Most of Ukrainian sea ports problems are systemic and interrelated and require settlement at the national level through the creation of an appropriate regulatory framework and the formation of the conceptual foundations on combination of government regulation and market self-regulation of sea ports development. Capacity building and improving the quality of works and port services is the main direction of investment and innovation activity. All this will lead to an increase in the competitiveness of Ukrainian ports in the world market due to increased volumes of cargo handling, attraction of new cargo flows and expansion of the range of work and services.