journal article·2026-04-23Open access

Adaptation of Small and Medium-Sized Ports in Motorways of the Sea (MoS) Systems

Vytautas Paulauskas, Birutė Plačienė, Donatas Paulauskas, Rafał Koba, Patryk Lipka, Marcin Kalinowski, Krzysztof Czaplewski, Adam Weintrit, Andrzej Chybicki, Jan-Jaap Cramer, Camilla Thorsen Otto, Mille Nielsen, Gustavo Ferraz de Luna, Marko Kovacevic

Applied Sciences· Volume 16· Issue 9

Abstract

Small and medium-sized ports are currently underutilised within supply and logistics chains, yet many can be successfully integrated through optimisation. A significant share is located near large cities and industrial zones, a situation that can be exploited not only to make better use of the ports themselves but also to develop nearby cities and regions. The “integration” of small and medium-sized ports into the Motorways of the Sea (MoS) system encompasses technical, technological, organisational, and legal aspects. This article primarily analyses the adaptation of small and medium-sized ports to the MoS objectives from a technical and technological perspective. The adaptation of the technical capabilities of small and medium-sized ports, linking them with major ports, focuses on bypassing “overloading” in land transport systems, optimising the costs of transporting goods by up to 25–30%, and reducing environmental impact compared with road transport by up to 50%. The article presents a mathematical model for adapting small and medium-sized ports to the MoS system, assessing the cost of cargo transportation, the reduction in environmental impact, and the technical and technological utilisation of these ports.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Maritime Ports and Logistics · Urban and Freight Transport Logistics · Transport and Logistics Innovations

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Marine Engineering Department, Klaipeda University, H. Manto Str. 84, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania

Maritime Institute, Gdynia Maritime University, Roberta de Plelo 20, 80-548 Gdańsk, Poland

Faculty of Navigation, Gdynia Maritime University, 3 Jana Pawła II Av., 81-345 Gdynia, Poland

Department of Geoinformatics, Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics Faculty, Gdansk University of Technology, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-222 Gdańsk, Poland

Port of Vordingborg, Vesthavnen, 5, 4760 Vordingborg, Denmark

Business Vordingborg, Rådhustorvet 4F, 4760 Vordingborg, Denmark

SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth EEIG, Voltastraße 5, 13355 Berlin, Germany

Funding

Gdynia Maritime University · European Regional Development Fund

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