When it comes to container port efficiency, are all developing regions equal?

Abstract

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Efficiency, productivity and returns to scale in ports: a comparison of data envelopment analysis and econometric estimation with application to Caribbean Small Island Developing States

“…The region's average technical efficiency stood at 58%, with results of the MPI revealing an average of a 2.2% cumulative growth in productivity. Surprisingly, but consistent with the findings of Serebrisky et al (2016), virtually all of this increase was the result of efficiency rather than technical change, which suggests most increases in productivity were the result of the eradication of inefficiencies rather than the development of operations technology.…”

“…Their analysis employed a DEA based MPI, finding a net 3% gain across the whole period reviewed, with no difference found in the efficiencies of Spanish and LAC ports. In a later study, Serebrisky et al (2016) estimated the efficiencies of 63 LAC ports, again only including the major ports in the Caribbean, and used panel data over the period 1999 to 2009 to estimate a stochastic frontier model (SFA). Results revealed an improvement in the average efficiency of ports, from 52% to 64%, with an overall average of 59%.…”

Global strategy gone astray: Maersk's big box boats and the world shipping industry

“…The industry continues to restructure by seeking strategic alliances and cooperative agreements (Hirata, ; Milne, , ; Moss, ). Other factors impacting the industry include consumer demand, weakened globalization, and operational challenges (Ducruet, ; Ducruet et al, ; Ducruet, Cuyala, & El Hosni, ; Ducruet, Itoh, & Merk, ; Ducruet & Wang, ; Suarez‐Aleman, Sarriera, Serebrisky, & Trujillo, ).…”

Ports, peripherality and concentration – deconcentration factors: a review

“…Factors emerging from 2008. New factors occurring in this period were related to the increasing need for container transhipment and varying levels of productivity and efficiency MABR 3,4 (McCalla, 2008;Notteboom, 2010;Wilmsmeier and Notteboom, 2011;Notteboom et al, 2014;Van Dyck, 2015;Suarez-Aleman et al, 2016). It is unclear whether the increasing need for transhipment resulted in concentration or deconcentration.…”

“…However, the literature suggests that concentration still occurred despite deconcentration trends. Different levels of port productivity and efficiency exist, especially in developing economies, as a result of private sector participation, corruption in the public sector and improvements in intermodal facilities (Suarez-Aleman et al, 2016). Shipping lines avoid unreliable ports and use hub ports as buffer zones to protect them from the negative impacts of inefficiency (Wilmsmeier and Notteboom, 2011).…”