Seaport performance comparison using data envelopment analysis: the case of Iberian container terminals

The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of the main Iberian container terminals in terms of efficiency. In this research are used multiple case studies to investigate the performance of ten Iberian terminals of different sizes and with different characteristics to rank them in terms of efficiency applying the recursive DEA with Kohonen Self-Organisation Maps (KSOM). The results evidence that the container terminals do have different performance levels and they present different patterns of efficiency. Moreover, the findings allow identifying the better competitor in this industry. This research contributes for policy-makers, seaport authorities, dealers, and researchers to support their decision making and to help define future decision policies in seaport industry. The results are very opportune in actual debate about the seaport industry competitiveness and how the seaports could improve their efficiency.