A Multiscale Diagnostic Framework for Sustainable Port Performance: Evidence from a Systematic Review

Global seaports play a pivotal role in international supply chains; however, prevailing port performance evaluation frameworks remain predominantly intraport-oriented, limiting their capacity to support sustainability transitions and the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria. Although ports are increasingly conceptualised as multiscale systems embedded within maritime and inland networks, existing approaches remain fragmented across intraport, foreland (seaside connectivity) and hinterland dimensions. Using a systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020, combined with bibliometric mapping through VOSviewer and covering 2019–2024, this study adopts a two-stage analytical design. First, a broad corpus of 238 peer-reviewed articles is used to develop a six-category port performance framework. Second, this corpus is refined to 95 articles focused on container ports, examined by integrating six methodological approaches with three spatial scales. This layered design ensures that the broad corpus defines the categories, while the refined corpus supports the multiscale application of the matrix. The findings reveal a persistent dominance of intraport-focused and efficiency-oriented approaches, alongside limited integration across spatial scales. Sustainability and governance perspectives are increasingly present but remain weakly connected to logistics network performance and rarely operationalise ESG criteria. The study develops a Multiscale Diagnostic Matrix that synthesises the literature and diagnoses fragmentation in port performance evaluation.