This paper investigates the role of Management Control Systems (MCS) for supporting the decision making process of Port Authorities (PAs), in preventing and reducing negative environmental effects from the seaports, mostly focusing the attention on the information management (data collecting, processing and reporting) in the relationships system established among the players involved in the arrival, mooring, and departure of ships in the port destinations. The control function by PAs, in the landlord port model, is analyzed for verifying if it consists only in the compliance of the declarations according to MARPOL convention and port regulations. Drawing from a wide analysis of the regulations and a deep review of the literature on environmental issues in the seaports and MCS and information systems for environmental sustainability and energy efficiency in the port sector, we conducted semi-structured interviews to some port users in one Italian seaport. The first results evidence that more detailed information and reporting on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency are necessary, especially during the morning on the quays of the ships, and, also, MCS, supported by information system, could support the improvement of the information basis for all the players, especially PAs, in the future developmental decisions of seaports. A set of KPIs has been provided for measuring and controlling the effectiveness and efficiency of waste management process in the port sector. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Key-Words: Sistemi informativi, Management Control Systems, Waste Port Management, Inter-Organizational Relationships, KPIs
