The Role of Seaports as Logistics Centers in the Modelling of the Sustainable System for Distribution of Goods in Urban Areas

This publication presents subject matter connected with the role of seaports as integrated logistics centers in the development of sustainable distribution of goods in urban areas. Seaports as integrated logistics centers and multifunctional socio-economic spaces are the key components of the European and global transport system. They carry out the functions and services necessary for the efficiency of supply chains, and their final elements include the distribution of goods from the places of production to places of consumption. Seaports cover the transport, logistic, distribution and spatial functions, which influence city development, while logistics centers cover the distribution function. The development of seaports is a result of their multifunctionality and multimodality focused on the widening of the range of services, which allows them to meet different demands of the environment. Thus, seaports and logistics centers have become elements of urban transport systems included in the EU policy of sustainable development of transport. Particularly important here is the latest implementation of the objectives of the EU White Paper on the development of resource-efficient and low-carbon transport in ecological urban transport. The publication presents existing solutions and possible directions concerning the activity of seaports as logistics centers in the area of urban logistics.