The efficiency of European container ports: A cross-sectional data envelopment analysis (original) (raw)
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Mersin University Journal of Maritime Faculty, 2020
In recent years, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique has been used quite frequently in determining container terminal efficiency. When the studies reviewed, conducted on the subject in the recent past, it is seen that the details such as the parameter on which the activity model focuses, sample selection, sample size and input-output selection have not yet been clarified enough, additionally, problems and confusion are encountered in practice. In this study, a critical analysis was carried out regarding the determinations in the use of the DEA technique, which is frequently used in the measurement of container terminal efficiency, and on which issues should be considered in order to establish the model better. In the consequences of the study, it was seen that data accessibility was an obstacle to reaching more robust results in efficiency analysis. It is very important to make evaluations between ports that are close to each other in terms of regional or infrastructure, demand and technological development in order to obtain more reliable and consistent results. Moreover, future studies should consider reliable inputs such as the number of equipment in the terminal that divided by two group, the terminal area, maximum depth, pier length.
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The efficiency of the container port industry has been variously studied utilising either Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) or Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Given the strengths and weaknesses associated with these two approaches, the efficiency estimates and scale properties derived from these analyses are not always convincing. This paper applies both approaches to the same set of container port data for the worldÕs largest container ports and compares the results obtained. A high degree of correlation is found between the efficiency estimates derived from all the models applied, suggesting that results are relatively robust to the DEA models applied or the distributional assumptions under SFA. High levels of technical efficiency are associated with scale, greater private-sector participation and with transhipment as opposed to gateway ports. In analysing the implications of the results for management and policy makers, a number of shortcomings of applying a cross-sectional approach to an industry characterised by significant, lumpy and risky investments are identified and the potential benefits of a dynamic analysis, based on panel data, are enumerated.
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With the rapid growth of containerisation in world maritime trade, container terminals have undertaken heavier tasks and more important roles to achieve better service quality and agility in the supply chain. Container terminals operate in a fierce competitive environment of international character. Their rivals are their neighbouring ports/seaport terminals, and/or similar facilities within their hinterlands. To accomplish the competitive advantage in global shipping, port managers have undertaken more effort continuously to improve their terminal productivity. However, to sustain competition in their favour it is also essential for managers to undertake benchmarking with the competing terminals. The aim of this paper is to guide port managers to benchmark their organisational performances with their competitors; thereby making necessary arrangements to use their resources more effectively. In this connection, 10 seaport terminals lyingon the coast of the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean rim are taken as decision-making units and data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to measure and evaluate their relative performances.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of the main Iberian container terminals in terms of efficiency. In this research are used multiple case studies to investigate the performance of ten Iberian terminals of different sizes and with different characteristics to rank them in terms of efficiency applying the recursive DEA with Kohonen Self-Organisation Maps (KSOM). The results evidence that the container terminals do have different performance levels and they present different patterns of efficiency. Moreover, the findings allow identifying the better competitor in this industry. This research contributes for policy-makers, seaport authorities, dealers, and researchers to support their decision making and to help define future decision policies in seaport industry. The results are very opportune in actual debate about the seaport industry competitiveness and how the seaports could improve their efficiency.
Ranking and causes of inefficiency of container seaports in South-Eastern Europe
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Analysing the Relative Efficiency of Container Terminals of Mercosur using DEA
Maritime Economics & Logistics, 2006
1 U n i v e r s i d a d e Fe d e r a l d o R i o G r a n d e d o S u l , P o r t o A l e g r e , B r a z i l . E -m a i l s : l r r i o s @ v e t o r i a l . n e t ; a c g m a c a d a @ e a . u f r g s . b r Maritime transport is extremely important for the world economy, and similarly for the Brazilian economy. The objective of this paper is to analyse the relative efficiency of operations in container terminals of Mercosur in the years of 2002, 2003 and 2004, using the data envelopment analysis technique in a model BCC, with five inputs (number of cranes, number of berths, number of employees, terminal area, amount of yard equipment) and two outputs (TEUs handled and average number of containers handled per hour/ship). The units of analysis are 15 Brazilian, six Argentinean and two Uruguayan container terminals. The analysis shows that 60% of the terminals were efficient in the 3-year period. Benchmarking analysis of Zarate, Rio Cubatão and Teconvi revealed that those terminals served as reference for inefficient terminals more often than other terminals.