A model proposal on efficiency measurement in container terminals

The effects of global problems experienced in recent years on maritime transport highlight the efficiency of container ports. However, the trend towards infrastructure and equipment investments and the breaks in the global supply chain raise questions about the efficient use of resources. This study aims to develop a model that can be used for all ports with different methodological perspectives on the efficiency of international container ports located on the Asia-Europe maritime trade routes and the environmental factors affecting the efficiency. In this context, parametric and non-parametric methods are discussed comparatively, and their weaknesses and advantages are stated. In the thesis, a new model uses econometric models, optimization and preloading techniques together, obtains consistent findings and is unique in the literature for container terminals, is presented. The results were interpreted in light of theoretical and empirical literature, and suggestions were made to improve the performance of container ports. The thesis discusses two common approaches that can be methodologically alternative to each other. The first of these is the stochastic frontier analysis. The marginal effects of environmental factors on efficiency are discussed with an innovative perspective on classical frontier models frequently used in the port literature. The second approach is the one in which the classical version is deterministic, stochastic data envelopment analysis and genetic matching technique are integrated. With this approach, an integrated three-stage stochastic model with genetic matching and bootstrapping techniques that considers variation in data is proposed to reduce sample selection bias. SFA findings indicate that increasing physical capacity has non-monotonic effects on efficiency while increasing connectivity positively affects efficiency for all ports. The findings imply that the three-stage stochastic data envelopment analysis, the average efficiency levels are underestimated without eliminating the effect of confounders on the efficiency scores obtained before and after matching. The findings show that small container ports plan their capacity more accurately than their larger counterparts. On the other hand, the positive effect of the increase in marine connectivity on efficiency draws attention. The study concludes that similar results can be obtained if the model specification of both stochastic and deterministic methods is determined correctly and the bias is reduced. In this context, container ports' avoidance of hasty investment decisions, giving importance to maritime connectivity and combining management skills shaped by an environmentalist and sustainable perspective with intelligent marketing strategies will increase their efficiency.