Evaluation of the sufficiency of port services in foreign trade of cargo transported by sea: The example of Ambarlı Port

Global trade in goods and services in the world is increasing day by day. This increase is also reflected in transportation and logistics activities. The share of maritime transportation in the transportation sector is quite high. Sea transportation is mostly preferred in international trade. One of the most important components of maritime transportation is ports. Ports undertake important duties in terms of the development of trade and national economies. Port operations and the services offered in ports are one of the key elements of maritime transportation. Therefore, studies in this field are of great importance. The study aims to evaluate the adequacy of port services in the foreign trade process by sea and to identify the disruptions experienced during these transactions. For this purpose, container port enterprises operating within Ambarlı Port Authority were selected. In the study, middle and senior level managers who were actively working in port enterprises and had at least 15 years of work experience were preferred as participants. Qualitative research method was preferred in the study. Purposive sampling, which is one of the non-random sampling methods, and criterion sampling, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods, were preferred as the sampling method. A semi-structured interview form consisting of 9 main themes and a notes section was used as a data collection tool. The data recorded through note-taking during the interviews with the participants was transferred to the electronic environment. The data obtained at the end of the data collection process was analyzed using descriptive analysis and content analysis methods. The According to the findings of the study, it was determined that some of the services offered to the ship were not offered by port operators. It has been determined that during the provision of these services, the transactions are most frequently disrupted due to natural events, workload, accidents and document deficiencies. It has been determined that among the services offered to cargo, loading, unloading, transfer, lashing-untying, locking, customs clearance, handling, terminal and storage services are offered in port enterprises. It has been determined that the most common problems during the presentation of these transactions are delays due to workload, problems with documents, malfunctions, accidents, and the long duration of the customs clearance process. It has been determined that administrative services can be provided to a limited extent in the port area. In the notes section of the study, it was determined that other problems were the traffic congestion in the port area, the inadequacy of the road infrastructure in the port area, the long duration of customs and bureaucratic procedures, the lack of railway connection in the port area, and the limited expansion area of the port as a result of intense urbanization around the port.