On using DEA for benchmarking container terminals

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare efficiency scores from the benchmarking exercise with those of previous studies and to discuss the reasons behind diverging results. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) on primary data of large container terminals. Findings - The results differ strongly from those available in the literature. Causes for these differences are: public (secondary) data are not always accurate, different terminal types are compared; terminals of different scale are compared; and terminals are mixed with ports. Practical implications - DEA may be appropriate for container terminal benchmarking, but only if better quality and additional input and output data can be obtained. In its application, the analysis should be controlled for terminal types. Originality/value - Summary of the state of play in the use of DEA methodologies for comparing the efficiency of container terminals at ports.