Logistics of Smart Port in Ukraine: Problems and Prospects in the Conditions of Sustainable Development

Abstract

Every day, the global logistics industry faces new challenges – both due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and due to economic instability in global markets. The pandemic and the disruption of traditional supply chains are forcing companies to change their production geography. Accelerated digitization of people's and companies' livelihoods is contributing to the transformation of classical logistics, and in the end, those players who create an environment of additional services for delivery support, thereby forming resilience to risks, are winning. In this regard, there is a need to develop theoretical and applied aspects of the transition of port logistics to sustainable development through the introduction of smart port technologies that contribute to the achievement of a number of sustainable development goals, such as: 1: no poverty, 2: zero hunger, 3: good health and well-being, 8: decent work and economic growth, 9: industry innovation and infrastructure, 11: sustainable cities and communities, 12:  responsible consumption and production, 13: climate action, 14: life below water, 17: partnerships for sustainable development. The theoretical basis of the research was scientific works of scholars from different countries and periods in the field of logistics, sustainable development, individual provisions of international framework documents, including the UN Conference on Environment and Development's Agenda for the 21st Century, the Declaration on Environmental Protection, and the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development. Official data from the ports of Gdansk, Rotterdam, and Hamburg, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI), the World Bank, and the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine (USPA) were used as initial information for analysis and concluding. As a result of summarizing the theoretical and methodological foundations of logistics, the article proposes the Conceptual Model of the Subject Area 'Smart Port', the quintessence of which lies in the symbiosis of the paradigms of scientific and technical development and sustainable development. This made it possible to expand the existing scientific basis of the transport logistics and transport systems sphere. The prerequisites for the emergence of the smart port are analyzed. The leading container ports of different generations are grouped. Special focus is on Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporters in the World. The prospects for the transition of Ukrainian ports to the fourth category (generation) of development are outlined. To successfully implement the strategy for the development of Ukrainian seaports for the period up to 2038, an optimization management model for logistics processes was developed based on the concept of a gaming approach.