The impact of specialization, ownership, competition and regulation on efficiency: a case study of Indian seaports

We develop a two-stage formulation to estimate seaport performance and to understand the drivers of efficiency, which could potentially include specialization, ownership, competition and tariff regulation. The first-stage non-parametric, slacks-based measure estimates the technical efficiency of each port. For the second-stage analysis, we develop a set of contextual variables including an absolute measure of specialization and a berth-level measure of ownership structure. To measure competition, we develop spatial measures that quantify the level of competition as a function of distance. We subsequently apply this formulation to major Indian seaports, covering a period of 21 years, from 1995 to 2015. The first-stage results suggest that average seaport efficiency has increased gradually over time. The second-stage fixed effects regressions show that specialization and external stakeholder participation have significant positive impacts on seaport performance. Perhaps surprisingly, we find that, in a tiered governance framework, competition between major seaports and local seaports has a significant negative impact on performance, potentially due to excessive infrastructure. Finally, changes in the regulatory mechanism over time are shown to be efficiency improving.

Literature review and comparative analysis of inland waterways transport: “Container on Barge”

Container on Barge (COB) facilitates intermodal transportation by transporting shipping containers on barge tows. COB has seen rapid expansion globally over the past 20 years, providing a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly, and congestion-reducing mode of container transportation. European countries have led COB transportation in both study and application over the past two decades. However, increasing interest is observed in both the USA and Asia. In this literature review and comparative analysis, 135 COB-focused peer-reviewed articles are reviewed and analyzed to systematically describe the development and current status of COB transportation research. The relevant literature is analyzed to reveal publication rates and titles, geographical regions of interest, research questions, applied methodologies, advantages of COB transportation, and key success factors. The aim of our effort is to provide information on various aspects of COB development among different regions in the world and to summarize the existing literature to support and guide future COB development.