Title: A conceptual model for benchmarking transhipment ports: the case of Tangier-Med and Algeciras Bay
Authors: Khalid Bachkar; Nguyen Canh Lam
Addresses: Department of International Business and Logistics, School of Maritime Transportation, Logistics and Management, California State University, Maritime Academy, 200 Maritime Academy Drive, Vallejo, CA 94590, USA ' School of Business and Management, RMIT University, Vietnam
Abstract: Seaports constitute a central component of the general transportation sector and a major means of integration into the global economic system. Increasingly, with the development of large containerships, the emergence of transhipment hub ports has made the total origin-to-destination movement of containerised cargo more seamless, and therefore, transport terminals have become more efficient. In this paper, we carry out a conceptual framework to analyse the transhipment port competition using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach. We then apply the framework to assess the competitiveness of the twin transhipment ports of Tangier-Med (Morocco) and Algeciras Bay (Spain). Our findings indicate that the Port of Tangier-Med is more attractive with regard to four criteria: port infrastructure, connectivity, port charges and port efficiency. In contrast, the Port of Algeciras Bay is more attractive with regard to two criteria: social responsibility and port management, and regulation, respectively. Results from the study will interest port managers because these results provide essential information on the key factors that come into the decision process of port users, thus, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Port of Tangier-Med and the Port of Algeciras Bay.
Keywords: Port of Tangier-Med; Port of Algeciras Bay; multi-criteria analysis; MCA; transhipment ports selection; logistics centred connectivity.
DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2021.120492
International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2021 Vol.40 No.4, pp.525 - 540
Received: 25 Jul 2019
Accepted: 01 Nov 2019
Published online: 24 Jan 2022 *