• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.413-420
• /
• 2016

Seaports are economically significant infrastructures in terms of dealing with more than 90% of the cargo volume in Korea's international trade. Furthermore, investment costs for constructing ports and the impacts of port industry on national competitiveness lead to the necessity for sustainable port operation. However, the earlier studies dealing with competitiveness and sustainability of the port sector focused on its logistical functions related to port size, operational efficiency, etc. Port competitiveness that considers local community and ecological values as well as the expectations and demands of port users is becoming an important issue in order for ports to cope with volatile external environments while maintaining competitiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to identify port performance indicators and measure their performance in terms of the environmental and social perspectives, as well as the economic perspectives, in order to sustain port development and operations. This paper presents findings from case analyses of SuPorts and PPRISM projects that assist European Union (EU) ports to secure sustainable competitiveness while respecting economic, environmental and social interests between ports and local communities. These projects create port performance indicators with balanced views including not only economic value but also environmental and social values. They measure port performance so port operators can implement these sustainable port practices. This study aims to find the critical factors for sustainable port practices by conducting case analyses of SuPorts and PPRISM projects.