Features of the Regional Market Cargo Transportation Market Development in Kherson Region

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of the study is to identify the specifics of the development of the regional freight transportation market in the Kherson region, taking into account advanced transportation technologies and assessing the concentration of the freight transportation market. Design/methodology/approach. The following research methods were used: problem-oriented (in terms of identifying the problems of the freight transportation market and factors influencing it); logical generalization, analysis and synthesis (to formulate conclusions about the prospects for the development of the multimodal freight transportation market in the region); structural and factual analysis (to analyze the structure and dynamics of freight transportation parameters); index method (to determine the concentration of the regional multimodal freight transportation market using indices). Conclusions. The analysis of the elemental structure of the logistics system of the Kherson region with the participation of water transport showed a developed infrastructure of cargo transportation and ample opportunities for focusing participants around the centers of the transportation process. The asymmetry of price competition for access to port berths and roadside transshipment was revealed, which distorts equal working conditions for cargo transportation market participants and modifies the structure of cargo transshipment and, accordingly, the centers of dominance in the target markets of multimodal transportation. Prioritizing the export of bulk cargo and import of containerized cargo in the Kherson region requires the development of a transport policy that would ensure the freight independence of cargo flows, and the identified unstable dynamics of the geography of transportation routes in the region requires the expansion of alternatives for choosing parameters and directions for the development of transportation technologies for servicing local cargo flows. It is also necessary to balance the existing advanced development of the grain cargo delivery infrastructure against the capacity of their one-time storage in grain terminals in ports. It has been established that the multimodal transportation market of the Kherson region (as of 2021) is characterized by an uneven distribution of market shares between transport enterprises, is highly concentrated, with a low level of competition and the threat of monopolization. Market power in the “market core” is evenly distributed among PJSC “Ukrzaliznytsia”, SE “Kherson Commercial Sea Port”, and LLC JV “Nibulon”. The Herfindahl – Hirschman index confirmed the concentration of power among these three enterprises, identified by the concentration index, which amounted to 80.87 %. The lower share of the transport sector of the Kherson region in the total economic activity of cranes in the period 2015–2020 in favor of other industries was identified, and therefore the insufficient level of meeting the production and non-production needs of consumers in the region in all types of cargo transportation. Practical implications. The results of this study are of interest to multimodal transportation market operators and cargo owners who are interested in actively implementing the logistics concept in regional development and building multimodal regional clusters. In this way, it is expected to increase the attraction of cargo flows to the regions, the development of competition; employment growth in the freight transportation sector and other related industries. The results of the assessment of the development of multimodal freight transportation can be taken into account by the Logistics Coordination Council under the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine when forming the strategic framework for the development of the country‟s logistics system. Originality/value. Assessment of the concentration of regional markets will provide an analytical basis in the process of forming a mechanism for ensuring the integrated efficiency of multimodal transportation of goods and minimizing interregional asymmetries: in terms of levels of cargo flows in accordance with the stated needs of consumers; the state of transport and logistics infrastructure; availability of all types of vehicles, service levels, etc.