Deep-sea container carrier performance: how efficient are the respective container carriers?

Abstract

The central research question in this article is: how efficient are globally operating deep-sea container carriers compared with each other? The answer is that most deep-sea container carriers are quite efficient. A point efficiency analysis shows that, first, the differences between the respective container carriers are considerable, and secondly, that efficiency depends on the carriers’ strategy if performance in terms of a certain indicator is ‘good’ or ‘aimed for’. From the input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) under constant returns to scale (CRS) it follows that most carriers are efficient or close to being efficient. Actually, this range of efficiency for deep-sea container carriers in such a volatile business environment is a good performance, and indicates that the carriers are successful in dealing with the Cob-Webb theorem. The input-oriented DEA [under variable returns to scale (VRS)] also shows that most carriers are efficient. The output-oriented analysis [under both CRS and VRS] again indicates that most deep-sea container carriers are efficient.