Container Port Efficiency and Productivity in 2019 and 2020: A Directional Distance Function Incorporating Vessel Waiting Time

Abstract

This study examines change in operational efficiency and productivity across a balanced panel of 15 container ports for the years 2019 and 2020. Berth length, gantry cranes, and other cranes are inputs; high container throughput is desirable, and extended anchorage waiting time is undesirable. Waiting time is calculated as the unweighted mean of weekly port estimates published by the Asian Development Bank. A pooled convex variable-returns-to-scale directional distance function with weak disposability provides a common reference technology, and the VRS global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index compares the two years. The mean transformed efficiency score was 0.855 across 30 port-year observations, declining from 0.878 in 2019 to 0.833 in 2020. The arithmetic mean GML score was 0.951: one port improved, ten declined, and four remained unchanged. A throughput-only model and leave-one-port-out re-estimation show that waiting time treatment and influential reference ports affect individual comparisons. In particular, the omission of Shanghai or Tanjung Pelepas substantially changed some rankings and scores.