Economic Efficiency of Sea Transport. Case Study: Constanţa - Galaţi

AbstractOne of the major problems faced by the twenty-first century society lies in ensuring sustainable growth that allows future generations to benefit from development conditions similar with those of our days in terms of impact, significance and relevance. For this purpose, a highly important role is played by the efficiency of companies’ economic activities, regardless of the field of activity. Sea transport companies attempt to meet these requirements by optimizing the shipping routes between ports, setting the ship capacity according to the consignment and typology of goods, sending the river-sea ships on voyages with potential for profit on some transport routes, and completing the voyage within the shortest possible time, with minimum risks and expenses etc. Through the current scientific research, the author wishes to address all these challenges and use particular case studies to highlight how the Romanian water transport between two ports—a sea port, Constanta, and an inland port, Galaţi—can be optimized. The author's calculations based on three different scenarios using ships of different cargo-carrying capacities indicate the optimum ratio between the shipped quantity, the costs of each voyage and the potential profit. The author has con-ducted a careful analysis of the various costs associated with the perfectly safe operation of seagoing and river-sea ships. The paper has significant managerial implications and a great potential for the scientific research in this field