The Role of Small Ports in Bushehr Province in Maritime Transportation Network

Port has always played a strategic role in domestic and foreign trade growth for developed and developing countries. As the world moves towards globalization and distances are steadily narrowing, ports have gained a more active role in the economic growth of the country and are no longer just a passive operator for transportation. Port networking is a relatively new idea that has been the focus of leading shipping countries in recent years. In the networking approach, small and large ports can interact with one another in a larger network as part of the whole, helping stakeholders and organizations fulfil their provisions. In this research, the focus is on commercial ports of Bushehr Province, including Bushehr, Deylam, Genaveh, Rig, Morvarid Kharg, Mohammed Ameri, Buolkheir, Ameri, Dayer, Kangan, Nakhl Taghi and Asalouyeh. At first, using Delphi method, port evaluation indicators were determined and accordingly, ports of Bushehr province were operationaly classified in three levels and geographically in three groups. Finally, by placing the mentioned ports in the transportation networking models, a dynamic networking model for the ports of Bushehr province is presented.