RESEARCH OF THE UKRAINE’S RIVER TRANSPORTATION POTENTIAL ON THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This study was provided to reveal the potential for the development of river transport in Ukraine. There were such the objectives of the study as the assessment of the prospects for the formation of demand for river transport services in Ukraine for domestic and international business; substantiation of the provisions on infrastructural and institutional support of the competitiveness of river transport; identification of the conditions and prospects for the growth of demand for combined transport involving river transport in the context of prioritizing sustainable development goals (for example, the river port in the city of Dnipro).

The concept of regional development of river ports has been created. It provides the joint development of the provisions of logistics and the concept of cleaned up territories. The economic development of the regions adjacent to the river port will depend on their influence. From an economic point of view, direct and equal access to potential consumers of logistics services to inland waterways and land should be ensured. From the point of view of logistics, it is important that river ports (as nodes of the logistics system) are located in logistics centers, providing such access. The result of the implementation of the concept should be used to increase the competitiveness of logistics centers at the regional level and enterprises located in adjacent territories.

The desk studies and a marketing study were conducted using the survey method (using the questionnaire) to achieve the objectives of the study. The respondents of the survey were small and medium-sized enterprises located in the Dnipro city. The main profiles of consumers of river transport are identified. These are manufacturing companies, logistics operators, rarely agents and shipping companies. It was revealed that the consumer rarely uses river transport, usually while selling or at several stages of transportation. Dry, bulky or non-standard cargoes with a volume of up to 10 thousand tons/year, with an average lot size of 1-1.5 thousand tons and a frequency of traffic once a month, are dominantly involved in river transportation. As a rule, transportation is carried out by enlarged cargo units.

The attractiveness of river transport for consumers is determined. This is territorial accessibility (up to 80 km); clear port specialization; the presence of transshipment terminals and complexes for the reception, storage, and shipment of products; the existence of adjacent rail or road infrastructure; low transportation costs.

The main problems with using river transport have been identified. This is the monopolization of the river freight transport segment by individual port operators and the lack of investment in the infrastructure support of river transport.

Potential complementary logistics services are identified. They are demanded by enterprises located in adjacent territories. This is an increase of the quality of transshipment processes, new forms of cooperation and interaction with the clientele, as well as with new port entities and port enterprises. The main parameters of the competitiveness of river transport are low costs; reliability; supply chain requirements/ standards; convenience and environmental friendliness.

It is concluded that the main drivers of the development of river transport are the integration of river transport by sea transport; investments in supra and river transport infrastructure; institutional support; environmental awareness and environmental behavior.