This thesis is devoted to investigation of conditions for effective use of methods of adaptive control of the port terminal's operator under changes in the market of port services. Analysis of trends in the development of port business in Ukraine showed that, despite of existing large throughput capacity of the port terminals, Ukrainian commercial seaports and the port industry of marine transport requires reform, taking into account international experience. It is proved that the prerequisites for such a reform are given in the Law of Ukraine "On Commercial Sea Ports of Ukraine". On the basis of analysis of world experience of organizational forms and methods of control of technological processes with the terminal operators the possibility of using the methods of adaptive management when developing competitive and operating strategies by the operator of port terminals in sea ports of Ukraine. Peculiarities of adaptive control of a cargo transshipment at the port terminal as an important part of the supply chain based on logistics management, were analyzed. The system analysis of the concept of adaptability of the organization and methods of control of operation of the port terminal was fulfilled. The examples of tasks on the organization of cargo transshipment and commercial practices, which can be solved by the operator using the principles of adaptive management are given. It is proved that the need for adaptive management activities of the port operator is necessary due to: a) the variable national legislation, which in turn "reacts" on the domestic factors and the changes in international standards related to the global marine trade, either directly or through "providing" rules (the conventions for safety, environmental protection, etc.); here one can speak about a contractual "flexibility", referring to the possibility of renegotiation during the period of contracts validity; b) flexible tariffs for stevedoring services in response to changing internal and external trade environment, which affects cargo flows; c) scientific-technological progress in the field of engineering and technology of transport, including in the field of cargoes transshipping; d) qualitatively new members of staff, including staff qualifications, social needs, employment; e) the influence of political, economic, hydro-meteorological factors, the accident rate in the arrival of vehicles at the terminal and transshipment of cargo. It is substantiated that adaptability is also closely linked with the risks that accompany the port activities in each of the above aspects. Therefore, when using the adaptive management it is necessary always to take into account the possible risks, using new methods of risk management. Scientific novelty of the results is that: a) firstly is conducted a system analysis of the concept of adaptive management in respect of the terminal's operator activity; the expediency and the conditions of adaptive management effective application for the port's terminal functioning as the link of the supply chain; b) proposed an improved method of forecasting of cargo flow based on the adaptive methods of forecasting of time series; c) the conditions of efficient use of adaptive management organizational structures in the operator of port's terminal; d) by the methods of queueing theory and the theory of the firm the methodical provisions were worked out concerning the finding an equilibrium solution in a competitive environment between terminal operators of oligopoly type under random fluctuations cargo flows at terminals; e) by the methods of inventory control theory the methodical provisions were worked out for optimization of the loaded wagons submission plan at the terminal under the given schedule of the ships arrival; f) the method of technological schedule of a ship loading/unloading optimization is worked out; g) the problem of forming the schedule of ship's loading/unloading is investigated by the methods of project management for the time parameters {Project Time Management} to include tasks and project management procedures necessary and sufficient to ensure the timely implementation of the project, including the determination of technological operations, their sequence, estimation of operations duration, development and control of schedule; h) substantiated of use of reasonable compensation mechanisms for operational control of ships loading/unloading that allow to take into account the change of initial data during the implementation of the initial optimal plan. Practical significance of the obtained results lies in the fact that they can be directly used in the daily practice of operational scheduling of a port terminal work, namely, the optimal schedule of rail wagons provision at the terminal when the schedule of ships arrival is known, as well as when day to day planning, handling of ships at the terminal. They can also be used in the educational process in teaching of such disciplines as "Management of intermodal transport," "Port management", "Transport logistics", as well as under the preparation of theses. Keywords: port terminal, operator, volatile market environment, ports competition, adaptive management, technological schedule of ships handling.
