Size and specialization as determinant of iberian port performance: new methodology to group different ports

The Iberian ports can be characterized in different types regarding the type of specialization, bulk cargo or general cargo, and size as determinants of efficiency. Focus is made on the gaps of literature about port efficiency regarding size and specialization. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology is used. Conclusion about the existence of 5 port groups recurring to size and specialization variables, with significant different characteristics and performance.Port; Performance; Determinants

Evolution of green shipping research: themes and methods

Over the past 30 years, there have been growing concerns on theenvironmental impacts of maritime transportation, which have attractedgreat attention from both academia and practitioners. Understandingdevelopments in this area can help guide future research. We conducteda comprehensive review of green shipping research, comprising 213papers published in transportation journals in SSCI of 2017 over theperiod 1988–2017. We find that research on green shipping hasincreased greatly since 2012, accounting for 77.5% of the reviewedpapers. The main focus today on green shipping was on air pollution,and the classification of green shipping practice, such as technical measures,operational options, market-based measures, and recycling andreusing, is becoming clear. According to the existing studies, futureresearch on green shipping must strengthen technology research tonot only solve practical problems, but also to establish a theoreticalgreen shipping system. Moreover, researchers from different countriescould cooperate with each other to give effective suggestions on settingstandards and laws of green shipping. Finally, we identify the futureresearch themes will focus on setting up green shipping system andlegislation and policy

Competitiveness and strategic positioning of seaports: the case of Iberian Seaports

The global market, with its extensive business networks and complex logistics systems, poses a high degree of uncertainty to the seaport industry and leaves seaport managers facing questions over just how to effectively respond to the ongoing market dynamics. Over the years, competition among seaports has intensified due to a number of structural changes taking place in seaport systems. Firstly, seaport hinterlands have extended well beyond national boundaries as a result of improvements to logistics and transport infrastructure. Secondly, the seaport industry is becoming increasingly concentrated through mergers and alliances. Thirdly, seaports are no longer mere interface points between land and sea or air. As communication technology advances and trade liberalization facilitates globalization, the role of seaports in the supply chain is changing. Seaports have now become one of the most dynamic links in international transport networks. There is already a clear consensus in the literature around the sheer importance of seaports to national economies, especially to those heavily dependent on international trade. Taking into account the vital importance of seaports directly or indirectly to the economy of any country, and especially to those of Portugal and Spain, this research seeks to analyse the competitiveness and strategic positioning of Iberian seaports. In accordance with the seaport context set out above, the following four research questions are raised: i) are there different prevailing levels of competitiveness at Iberian seaports? ii) what are the key factors to seaport competitiveness from the stakeholder’s perspective? Do perceptions of the importance of these factors differ between users and service providers? iii) how are Iberian seaports strategically positioned within the Iberian range? iv) What is the contribution of logistics resources to the competitiveness and performance of this sector? To approach the level of competitiveness dimension, we measure seaport efficiency through applying an alternative Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology for cross sectional data from 2009 and the appropriate DEA methods (contemporaneous and windows analysis) for panel data (2005-2009). The results suggest that levels of Iberian seaport efficiency differ significantly not only from seaport to seaport but also at each seaport over the course of time. The study also identifies both the contribution of inputs/outputs to this seaport efficiency and the causes of inefficiency. Through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we study the key factors to seaport competitiveness from the perspectives of stakeholders as well as the strength of their respective preferences. The Delphi approach was deployed for the preliminary stages of factor selection. The results reveal how seaports users and seaport service providers disagree over the importance of the key factors to seaport competitiveness. The results empirically demonstrate that vessel turnaround time is the most important factor to seaport competitiveness from perception of its users. However, from that of the seaport authorities and terminal operators, seaport facilities and equipment is the most important factor. The importance-performance matrix analysis also confirms that the vessel turnaround time that proves most important to users is also the factor on which the seaports do not perform well. Therefore, the service providers of Iberian seaports need to focus on improving its performance in this field. To study strategic seaport positioning, we apply the BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix as a strategic tool generating an evolutionary perspective. The findings reveal a better positioning of Spanish seaports in relation to total traffic. According to the time series analyzed (1992-2009), the strategic positioning of most seaports in the BCG matrix had changed from the first to the third period. Furthermore, in terms of container traffic, the results identify the seaports of Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona as having attained a remarkable position of leadership. With the purpose of analyzing the contribution of resource logistics to seaport performance, the linear additive Multi Criterion Analysis (MCA) and the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) model were adopted. The model incorporates the contribution of two different performance indicators, operational performance and physical capacity, measured by several indicators. The physical capacity indicators considered are logistics resources. Study results show operational performance contributed 48.77% whilst physical capacity represented 51.23% of overall performance with the majority of seaports revealing a direct proportionality between their positioning in terms of physical capacity and their overall performance positioning.This work was financially supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) subsidized by the Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) and funds from the MCTES State Budget under the QREN - POPH - Type 4.1 - Advanced Training

Benchmarking Sustainability Performance of Ports

Sustainable development agendas are challenging the world and ports, in particular, to find ways to become more efficient while meeting economic, social and environmental objectives. Although there has been a considerable body of documentation on green port practices and performance in Europe and America, there is limited synthesis about evaluation of sustainable practices in the Canadian ports context. This research aims to provide a modeling framework for benchmarking the sustainability performance of ports and to identify targets for improvement. A two-step approach is proposed. First, a review of literature and initiatives employed by global port authorities is conducted to identify major sustainability performance indicators. Second, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to evaluate port performance while taking into account the dimensions of sustainable development. The DEA models evaluate both undesirable and desirable outputs for ports. Three categories of models are proposed namely; ignoring undesirable output, treating undesirable output as input, and directional distance function under variable and constant returns to scale. A case study for 13 North American ports is conducted. The results indicate that performance evaluations vary with economic and social criteria. The indicators and methodology undertaken can be used by ports and other industrial service sectors for improving green performance

MEASURING EFFICIENCY CHANGE IN TIME APPLYING MALMQUIST PRODUCTIVITY INDEX: A CASE OF DISTRIBUTION CENTRES IN SERBIA

In the last decade, more and more attention has been paid to the efficiency of logistics systems not only in the literature but also in practice. The reason is the huge savings that can be achieved. In a very dynamic market with environmental changes distribution centers have to realize their activities and processes in an efficient way. Distribution centers connect producers with other participants in the supply chain, including end-users. The main objective of this paper is to develop a DEA model for measuring distribution centers’ efficiency change in time. The paper investigates the impact of input and output variables selection on the resulting efficiency in the context of measuring the change in efficiency over time. The selection of variables on the one hand is a basic step in applying the DEA method. On the other hand, the number of basic and derived indicators that are monitored in real systems is increasing, while the percentage of those used in the decision-making process is decreasing (less than 20%). The developed model was tested on the example of a retail chain operating in Serbia. The main factors changing the efficiency have been identified, as well as the corresponding corrective actions. For measuring efficiency change in time Malmquist productivity index is used. The developed approach could help managers in the decision-making process and also represents a good basis for further research

Competitiveness of China's Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port: resource-based and institutional perspectives

Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port is a crucial window connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, an international passage to ASEAN. This study attempts to take the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port as the object of study, explore its port competitiveness from the perspectives of resource theory and institutional environment. This study used two sets of data which are official data of thirteen ports in 2010-2016 years and the first hand data collected from the port operators by the self-reported questionnaire.First of all, based on governmental data of thirteen ports including Beibu Gulf Port, Shanghai Port, Yantian Port and etc.from year 2010 to year 2016, the port competitiveness of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port is comprehensively analyzed by making empirical test about the influence of port resources and institutional environment on port competitiveness, combining with the questionnaire and other first-hand materials. Second, to further valide and explain the findings from official data, this study used self-reported questionnaires to collect first-hand data from the port operators. Analyses of the two sets of data reveal the following findings. 1) the overall competitiveness of Beibu Gulf port is weak; 2) Beibu Gulf port competitiveness and port throughput are positively correlated; 3) the port resources of Beibu Gulf have not all significantly positively affecting the port competitiveness; 4) the institutional environment of Beibu Gulf port has not been able to regulate the relationship between port resources and port competitiveness; 5) the institutional environment of Beibu Gulf port has a positive regulating effect on port competition and port throughput. This study proposes relevant policies and suggestions to improve Beibu Gulf port competitiveness.O Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port é um importante porto de entrada para a Rota da Seda Marítima do Século XXI e o Cinturão Económico da Rota da Seda, além de ser um portal internacional para a ASEAN. Este artigo tenta usar o Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port como objeto de pesquisa para explorar a competitividade portuária do porto de Guangxi Beibu Gulf na perspectiva da teoria dos recursos e do ambiente institucional. Este estudo usou dois conjuntos de dados. Dados em primeira mão de operadores portuários coletados por dados oficiais e questionários auto-relatados para 13 portos para 2010-2016. Primeiro, usando os dados oficiais de 13 portos em Beibu Gulf, Shanghai Port e Yantian Port de 2010 a 2016, foi construído um modelo de análise empírica do impacto dos recursos portuários e do ambiente de políticas portuárias na competitividade portuária. Com base no questionário e em outros dados de primeira mão, foi realizada uma análise abrangente da competitividade do porto de Guangxi Beibu Gulf. Em segundo lugar, a fim de aprofundar o estudo e explicar os resultados dos dados oficiais, este estudo utilizou um questionário auto-relatado para coletar dados em primeira mão dos operadores portuários. Os resultados da análise dos dois conjuntos de dados revelaram: 1) A competitividade global do Porto do Golfo de Beibu é fraca; 2) A competitividade do Beibu Gulf Port está positivamente correlacionada com o rendimento do porto; 3) As variáveis dos recursos portuários do Beibu Gulf não afetaram de forma significativa e positiva a competitividade portuária; 4) O ambiente institucional do porto de Beibu Gulf não ajustou significativamente positivamente a relação entre os recursos portuários e a competitividade portuária; 5) O ambiente institucional do Beibu Gulf Port tem um efeito de ajuste positivo na relação entre a concorrência portuária e o rendimento do porto. Com base nisso, este estudo propõe recomendações políticas relevantes para melhorar a competitividade do porto do Golfo de Beibu

The Impact of Port Technical Efficiency on Mediterranean Container Port Competitiveness

Port efficiency is a significant element that stimulates port competitiveness and enhances regional development. With increasing international maritime traffic and changing technology in the maritime transport sector, containerisation and enhanced logistic activities, infrastructure might be one of the main determining factors of port competition (Merk & Dang, 2012). Due to the increasing container traffic and the high quality of service required by the shipping lines, Mediterranean container ports are being compelled to enhance port efficiency to improve comparative advantages that will increase cargo traffic and satisfy the customers’ requirements. The Mediterranean Sea is a link point between Europe, Africa and Asia. This research aims to examine the impact of ports' technical efficiency on the improvement of Mediterranean container ports’ competitiveness. The research analyses the competitiveness and the relative efficiency of the top 22 container ports in the Mediterranean basin using a cross-section, panel data and window analysis application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) for the period between 1998 and 2012. The selected 15 year period enables the analysis of Mediterranean container port market dynamics and the benchmarking of the technical efficiency of the selected ports for three consecutive market cycles. This research can be classified as quantitative analytical research. The research follows the concept of the Industrial Organization (IO) and the Structuralism (Harvard school) methodology that analyses the market Structures, Conduct and Performance (SCP) of market players. The study conducts a simultaneous three-stage procedure: in the first stage, the competitiveness of the main container ports in the Mediterranean is analysed through the study of market structure and conduct. Market structure is assessed through measuring and analysing market concentration by using four different methods. These methods are: the K-Firm concentration ratio (K-CR), Hirshman-Herfindahl Index (HHI), the Gini coefficient (GC) and the generalized entropy index. Boston Consultant Group (BCG) matrix is also used to visualize the dynamics between ports in the defined market and assess the ports' competitive position. Market conduct is analysed using shift-share analysis (SSA) to get a thorough understanding of the issue of port traffic development. In the second stage, market performance is analysed through the use of the non-parametric models of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) which estimates the relative efficiency scores and ranking seaports according to their efficiency. Five DEA models are adopted for comparative purpose, the DEA- CCR, DEA-BCC, the Super-Efficiency (A&P, 1993), the sensitivity analysis and slack variable analysis models. In the third stage, to examine the impact of port efficiency on port competitiveness, a number of hypotheses are examined through the use of parametric correlation coefficients (Spearman’s rank order) and Simar and Wilson (2007) procedure to bootstrap the DEA scores with a truncated regression. Using this approach enables more reliable evidence compared to previous studies analysing the efficiency of seaports. The main findings demonstrate that the recent deconcentration tendency of the Mediterranean container port market is due to the increased number of market players which will in turn reshape the market structure, change the container port hierarchy and intensify the competition between ports as the market shifts from oligopoly to pure competition. The research findings also reveal the existence of inefficiency pertaining to the management of container ports in the region, since the total technical efficiency is found to be below 50% on average. This relatively limited technical efficiency of the Mediterranean container ports indicates the need for appropriate capital investments for ports’ infra/superstructure. In particular, those ports whose efficiency is not favoured by some factors such as size, geographical position and socio-economic conditions of the region in which they are located, must adopt suitable reform strategies to promptly improve their efficiency and competitive position. What differentiates this work from previous studies on the subject is that both cross-sectional and panel data have been collected and analysed at the level of individual container ports in the Mediterranean. The study is based on a wide range of methodologies, both parametric and non-parametric, that have ensured the validity of the empirical examination that has been undertaken and the results obtained. The research analysed the Mediterranean container ports competitiveness, benchmarked and ranked their efficiency by considering the Mediterranean in its totality, including South Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The study puts forward a way to assess container port efficiency based on simple, yet validated and meaningful physical efficiency measures