Assessment of Trabzon,Batum and Poti ports in terms of competition with AHP method

In international trade, it is desirable to minimize transportation costs, one of the biggest cost items, in order to obtain maximum profit. Maritime transport has the lowest cost per unit and the most reliable mode of transport among all shipping modes (seaway, highway, airway and railway). Therefore, the share of maritime transport is increasing in growing international trade. Undoubtedly, the ports are one of the most critical elements of maritime transport. The criteria that are determined as the final port competition element in the literature research are the geographical location, physical facilities, port management and port cost. The aim of the study is to determine the negative and positive aspects of the Port of Trabzon by comparing the competition elements mentioned above with the ports of Trabzon, Batum and Poti and propose to increase the load mobility. The study was evaluated between the Ports of Trabzon, Poti and Batum which are the same in terms of the potential of the hinterlands. The data are analyzed by using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHS) Method, which enables the qualitative and quantitative elements that determine the competitiveness of the ports with each other to be evaluated together. According to the analysis results obtained, Trabzon port have a higher importance level than its competitors Poti and Batum ports. Despite this, Trabzon port, deprived of the effectiveness of the combined transport (Transport of a cargo using at least two transport modes) link which is the lifeblood of today's international trade, have lost most part of flow of load flow made by Central Asian countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and Western countries to the ports of Poti and Batumi, which are rivalries.