DRY PORTS AS KEY ELEMENTS OF TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS CLUSTERS: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE
The paper examines the creation of dry ports as a key element in the formation of transport and logistics clusters in the European Union. It describes the benefits of the creation of dry ports and discusses the aspects of the choice of the logistic supply chain of goods. It is stated that the vector of competitiveness of the sea ports is shifted in the direction to the most favorable implementation of the intermodal transport. A port in this context is not considered as a separate territorial unit, but as an element of the chain of the transport corridor, an integral part of which is dry ports, rail, road and inland waterways. Such elements of transport corridors in conjunction with the adjacent profile companies and organizations form the core of the transport and logistics clusters. As a result, European ports are increasingly competing not as individual items of ship processing, but as a key link in global supply chains. Port selection is changed into a function dependent on network costs. Port selection criteria refer to the entire network, in which the port is represented as one of the nodes. Those ports that allow minimizing the amount of sea, port and inland costs are chosen.