Title: A competitiveness measurement framework for regional container hub ports: a case study in East Asia

Authors: Ada Suk-Fung Ng, Andy Loon Chee Lim, Choon Heng Leong, Chun Hung Cheng

Addresses: Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. ' Liraship Agency Sdn Bhd, B12-14 1st Floor, Pusat Komersil Semambu, Jalan Semambu, 25300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. ' Department of Transportation and Logistics, Malaysia University of Science and Technology, GL33, G/F, Block C, Kelana Square, Kelana Jaya, PJ 47301, Malaysia. ' Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

Abstract: Shipping lines have been increasing the size of vessels to bring down the unit cost in the past two decades. As a result, the number of port calls has been reduced to save shipping time. This intensifies the competition amongst ports for capturing more port calls. This study identifies the criteria that influence the competitiveness of a regional container hub port. A competitiveness measurement framework combining pair-wise comparison and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques is developed. Empirical study shows that market accessibility is the most influential criterion. It suggests that Shanghai and Tanjung Pelepas are the future potential hubs.

Keywords: port competitiveness; selection criteria; pair-wise comparison; DEA; data envelopment analysis; East Asia; regional container hub ports; regional container hubs; market accessibility.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2010.035040

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2010 Vol.7 No.3, pp.368 - 392

Published online: 01 Sep 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article