Green Port as a Direction of Sustainable Maritime Logistics Transformation

Abstract

Green ports have become an important research topic because contemporary seaports function not only as cargo-handling nodes, but also as sources of air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, intensive energy use, and pressure on surrounding urban areas. Against this background, the objective of this article is to analyse how the concept of the green port is defined in the scientific literature, which development directions are treated as central, and which implementation barriers are most frequently identified. The study applies analysis and synthesis of scientific literature and is based on academic sources dealing with port sustainability, decarbonisation, electrification, environmental protection, digitalisation, and port-city interaction. The review shows that the green port is no longer understood as a narrow set of pollution-control measures. Instead, it is described as an integrated transformation model that combines decarbonisation, shore power supply, terminal electrification, waste and water management, data-driven governance, and stronger coordination with urban and regional stakeholders. The analysed literature also indicates that technological solutions alone do not guarantee progress. Implementation depends on investment capacity, institutional coordination, common data standards, and the ability of port authorities to align environmental goals with operational and territorial planning priorities. The article concludes that the green port should be interpreted as a comprehensive and strategic framework for sustainable maritime logistics transformation.