Container terminals' efficiency with the unexpected output: a revised SBM approach.

Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from port operations are a major environmental factor contributing to the problem of climate change. To cope with this challenge, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and port governments in nations have developed stringent regulations to curb the release of GHGs and other pollutants. To contribute a methodology towards the reduction in air pollution at port areas, the paper aims to assess container terminals' (CTs) efficiency by considering the unexpected output (i.e., CO2 emissions) in their operations by a revised SBM-DEA model. The main originality of this paper includes (1) using cluster analysis to determine the homogeneity of decision-making units (DMUs), (2) proposing the power utilization approach to estimate the amount of CO2 emissions released by container terminal operators (CTOs), (3) incorporating CO2 emissions into the assessment model to provide a complete efficiency ranking for CTs, and (4) developing the revised SBM to estimate efficiency scores for CT operations. Finally, 12 CTOs affiliated with the SNP corporation of Vietnam were empirically employed to validate the research model. Based on the result from the proposed research model, CTOs might reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by adopting the slack variables while guaranteeing their operating efficiency.

Assessing port service quality: An application of the extension fuzzy AHP and importance-performance analysis.

It is argued that ports are playing a crucial role in developing nations' economy. Still, solutions to improving port service quality (PSQ) to boost ports' competitive capacity is questionable. Hence, this study aims to investigate port service quality (PSQ) by using integration of the extension Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) from port users' perspectives. From the relevant literature and expert interview, the hierarchical structure of PSQ embracing six dimensions with 29 criteria was first established. To test the research model, the Dong Nai port joint stock company (DNPC) and their port-service users were empirically investigated. It is found that: (1) the importance degree of dimensions is ranked as follow: empathy (21.07%), tangibles (20.15%), assurance (15.97%), reliability (15.54%), responsiveness (12.53%), diversity (14.74%); (2) for criteria of PSQ, top five criteria concerned by shipping companies and ocean freight forwarders comprise: "proactive provision of vessel schedules", "cargo handling facilities and equipment", "detailed schedule", "accuracy and consistency of schedules", and "geographical location"; (3) there are four service attributes (SAs) needing to prioritize for improvement, including "perfect transportation of cargos", "ability in dealing with cargo damage", "willingness in helping customers", "provision of special cargo-related services". The practical policy is that port authorities should transfer the limited resources from SAs in Quadrant IV to Quadrant II to enhance the PSQ.