THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE DEFINITION OF “CLUSTER”, “TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS CLUSTER”, “PORT CLUSTER”

Introduction. Transport systems and infrastructure are important elements of the country's economy. Seaports are the gateway to the state and the driving force in the development of globalization processes. Ukraine has great potential in the port industry, but it is not used at full capacity. This means that it is necessary to change management methods and follow european experience. One of the latest trends in the maritime industry is clustering. To effectively use this new approach, it is necessary to understand the sense of the concept and then apply it. Purpose. The article is addressed to the definition of “port cluster”, because nowadays in Ukraine it is not formed and sufficiently studied and the effectiveness of its formation based on the port cluster attractiveness index, as today in Ukraine such a phenomenon in the port sector has not been formed yet and remains insufficiently studied. Results. The paper considers the theoretical aspects of the “cluster”, “transport and logistics cluster”, “port transport and logistics cluster” concepts. Specific characteristics of a cluster were defined with the analysis of the domestic and foreign scientists' theoretical research. The concept of “port cluster” was formulated and can be used in further research in order to increase the competitiveness of the maritime industry and individual port regions. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was determined that the clustering of the port industry is a promising management mechanism. As the cluster environment intensively stimulates the implementation of the innovations, it provides a rich source of relevant ideas, and reduces the cost of transforming ideas into new products and services. Thus, this will encourage companies which take part in the cluster to invest in innovations. It will also promote knowledge through economic agglomerations, which in their turn will increase productivity and will create new products. The basic concept of cluster theory is established: because of geographical proximity and common location, many benefits for the cluster members are accumulated and provide reduction in costs. The definition of a “port cluster” was formulated, reflecting the latest effective form of port infrastructure management with the involvement of government, business and scientific institutions. It is proposed to use the attractiveness index of the port cluster. A further perspective of the study is determination of the port clusters classification and the specifics of their work.