Three decades of port development in Adriatic and Baltic region: focus on the port Koper and the port of Klaipėda

Abstract

Ports are complex systems that play a central role in the transport of goods and have an undeniable importance in global economic development. The operation of ports requires many resources, while their performance and efficiency depend on many factors. This puts pressure on port management. The article focuses on the port of Koper in Slovenia and the port of Klaipėda in Lithuania. These ports are located in countries with a similar recent history when they evolved from relatively closed countries to sovereign states and eventually to EU members, which among other things influenced the development path of these two ports. The authors analyze and compare the organization, performance and efficiency of the Port of Koper and the Port of Klaipėda over the last three decades and identify the main factors that drove the development of these ports. In the final part of the paper, the authors analyze the potential for transferability of best practices between the ports.