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Title
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Efficiency and productivity in container terminal operation : a case study for the Hamburg – Le Havre range
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Author
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Abstract
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| The container sector's significance dates back to the 1950s. Times of economic turmoil, such as the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2021 Suez Canal blockade, are recent phenomena where the importance of the maritime and port sector became visible to the general public. As an exchange interface, terminals handle hundreds of millions of containers every year to facilitate trade and globalisation. Efficiency and productivity at container terminals are highly driven by frequent port calls, resilient infrastructure and adequate accessibility through the hinterlands. Investments in the infrastructure and the superstructure by terminals can save customers a large amount of costs. This thesis addresses the role of infrastructure and superstructure in evaluating efficiency in container terminals. The role of port competition is addressed to indicate implications of closeby terminals and ports to performance. The implications due to performance can also be observed through costs, an element also investigated in this thesis. The methodological approach used for performance includes non-parametric and parametric methods to conclude. The analysis for productivity and efficiency is through the use of the Malmquist productivity Index (MPI) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) (Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR) and Banker, Charnes and Cooper (BCC)). To evaluate the association of the external factors with the relative technical efficiency of the terminals, the Tobit regression and the Kruskal – Wallis models are used. The methods are applied in the Hamburg Le-Havre (HLH) context considering two periods, 2013 and 2018. For the costs analysis, only the terminals at the port of Antwerp are evaluated. The emphasis in efficient handling of resources is identified as key in the functioning of the business. The external factors are recognised as additional major contributing factors to the container handling business. Through efficient handling of containers, terminal operators can save costs, not only for themselves, but also for the rest of the stakeholders. The outcomes indicate that relative efficiency is vital to evaluate especially in a business environment where competition is high. The HLH is found to maintain a positive trend of productivity and efficiency over the time measured. Scale inefficiencies contribute negatively to the overall efficiency in the region. The high efficiency and productivity in the region indicate proper management of resources by the terminal managers, which suggests that the capacity expansion investments are paying off. Although it is proven that environmental factors are not highly significant in terminals in close proximity, it is also emphasised that the external factors are generally substantial in shaping cargo flows, which is vital in determining efficiency. In addressing the measurement and importance of terminal efficiency, this research provides insight to container terminal managers on effective ways to manage resources at their terminals. The research contributes by providing a holistic view of terminal handling to policymakers for large investment decision-making purposes. Research focusing on the terminal level, especially in a region with business operation characteristics such as the HLH, is limited thus this work helps to reduce that gap. |
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Language
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English
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Publication
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Antwerp
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University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Transport and Regional Economics
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2022
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Volume/pages
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xxii, 280 p.
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Note
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Vanelslander, Thierry [Supervisor]
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Full text (open access)
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