Port efficiency types and perspectives: A literature review

Abstract

Port efficiency has different meanings for various stakeholders. This paper examines the existing studies on the efficiency types and analysis perspectives. Most studies focused on traditional port efficiencies (i.e., the technical, allocative and economic efficiency). Some extended these traditional types by considering ships’ time in port and the negative environmental impacts. The majority of studies assessed port efficiency from the perspective of port authorities, managers, and operators. Few did it from the perspective of the users and the public. Even fewer noticed the possible conflicts between the port service level and its profitability. This highlights the need for port efficiency analyses to balance the interests of different stakeholders. Frontier methods are popular in port efficiency evaluation, but publications extending or combining different methods are still very rare. Several issues are identified, including the consistencies between decision-making units and the selection of input/output variables, the nature of port services, the extension and combination of these methods, and the impacts of new developments and occurrences, which can be the direction of further studies.