Digitalization-Driven Sustainability in a Medium-Sized Container Terminal: Evidence from the Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania

Digitalization and sustainability are increasingly important in container terminal development, yet their operational-level integration remains insufficiently explained in medium-sized terminals. This study examines how digital systems support sustainability-related outcomes in a medium-sized container terminal in the Port of Klaipėda, Lithuania. An exploratory qualitative case study was conducted using document analysis and semi-structured interviews with three key informants representing operational, planning/administrative, and technical or sustainability-related functions. Qualitative content analysis was applied to identify digital technologies, operational mechanisms, sustainability outcomes, implementation barriers, and managerial responses. The findings show that the terminal operating system, vehicle booking system, automated gate solutions, and port community system support sustainability mainly indirectly, through improved planning, information exchange, gate coordination, reduced congestion, and more efficient resource use. However, these effects are constrained by system fragmentation, limited interoperability, manual data transfer, uneven access to real-time information, and insufficiently targeted staff training. The strongest documented sustainability effects relate to LED lighting and solar energy infrastructure, while other digital-green links remain mainly qualitative or potential. The study provides exploratory, case-based evidence on how digitalization and sustainability are operationally connected in the analyzed medium-sized container terminal. Rather than proposing a new general theory, the study offers an analytical classification structure that helps distinguish documented, indirect and potential digitalization–sustainability links. The findings provide practical recommendations for system integration, staff training and sustainability performance monitoring.