Seaport Performance Research Articles

Unlocking the potential of digital twins to achieve sustainability in seaports: the state of practice and future outlook

AbstractThis paper examines the role of digital twins (DTs) in promoting sustainability within seaport operations and logistics. DTs have emerged as promising tools for enhancing seaport performance. Despite the recognized potential of DTs in seaports, there is a paucity of research on their practical implementation and impact on seaport sustainability. Through a systematic literature review, this study seeks to elucidate how DTs contribute to the sustainability of seaports and to identify future research and practical applications. We reviewed and categorized 68 conceptual and practical digital applications into ten core areas that effectively support economic, social, and environmental objectives in seaports. Furthermore, this paper proposes five preliminary potential applications for DTs where practical implementations are currently lacking. The primary findings indicate that DTs can enhance seaport sustainability by facilitating real-time monitoring and decision-making, improving safety and security, optimizing resource utilization, enhancing collaboration and communication, and supporting the development of the seaport ecosystem. Additionally, this study addresses the challenges associated with DT implementation, including high costs, conflicting stakeholder priorities, data quality and availability, and model validation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for seaport managers and policymakers.

Comparative analysis of hub and spoke seaport performance in Nigeria: Case of Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port

Purpose: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the operational performance of two major seaports in Lagos, Nigeria – Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port – using specific port performance indicators. Methodology: The study employs the Cobb-Douglas production function and the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method to analyse data sourced from the Nigeria Ports Authority's operational bulletin records. The analysis was conducted using E-view software version 10.0. Results: The findings indicate that cargo throughput, used as the dependent variable, has a strong positive linear relationship with ship traffic, berth occupancy, turnaround time, and the number of employees. The R2 value is 85.89% for Apapa Port and 98.79% for Tin Can Island Port, suggesting that Tin Can Island Port is more productive. Theoretical Contribution: This study contributes to the field of maritime transport and logistics by providing empirical evidence on the efficiency and productivity of Nigerian seaports. It highlights the importance of modern infrastructure and effective port operations in enhancing seaport performance. Practical Implications: The study recommends that the Nigerian government should focus on reducing port congestion, improving road conditions leading to the ports, and streamlining port documentation processes. These measures are essential for enhancing the operational efficiency of Nigerian seaports.

An Assessment of Container Seaport Efficiency Determinants

Maritime transport plays a pivotal role in the global economy, facilitating the majority of international trade and serving as a cornerstone for efficient and expansive logistics networks. The proliferation of economic globalisation has resulted in a significant upsurge in intercontinental transactions, thereby fostering the utilisation of ports and shipping enterprises as cost-effective and expeditious means of accessing a wide range of destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The objective of this study is to evaluate the significance of five exogenous variables, namely, GDP per capita, water depth, commodity-type diversification, management model, and European directional division, in relation to the performance of seaports. Measuring the impact of exogenous variables in seaport performance is crucial for understanding how external factors influence efficiency, enabling informed decision-making, and facilitating the development of targeted policies for sustainable and effective port operations. This assessment will be conducted using robust benchmarking analysis methods, specifically the nonparametric order-α model. Several findings suggest that there is a negative relationship between GDP per capita and the performance of seaports when GDP per capita reaches very high levels. However, seaports located in regions with lower GDP per capita tend to exhibit superior performance. The inefficiency of southern seaports is evident, whereas seaports located in Central/Eastern Europe exhibit superior performance, irrespective of their model orientation. These findings underscore the importance of considering economic context and regional factors in understanding seaport performance and highlight potential areas for improvement in southern seaports.

Analysis of ecoport management implementation and seaport performance

Ecoport management is a port management trend around the world. Unfortunately, Indonesia has not implemented it properly and the focus is only on the performance of ship services and loading and unloading services. Tanjung Intan Seaport as a port that continues to grow, has it implemented ecoport management? Is the performance of the ship’s service and loading and unloading optimal? This research objective area: (1) knowing and analyzing the management of ecoport at Tanjung Intan Seaport. (2) knowing and analyzing the performance of ship services at the Tanjung Intan Seaport; (3) knowing and analyzing the performance of loading and unloading services at the Tanjung Intan Seaport. The results show that Tanjung Intan Seaport has not consistently implemented ecoport management. Likewise, the performance of ship services and loading and unloading services has not been entirely good. Ship services, namely approach time 1.26 hours, delay time for domestic vessels 22.7 hours, postpone time for foreign vessels 8.19 hours, turn round time for domestic vessels 138.52 hours, all of them are good, as well as loading and unloading services for ET:BT domestic vessels 84 % already well. However, loading and unloading services are not good for ET:BT for foreign vessels 54.78%, T/S/D for domestic vessels 6.567 tons, T/S/D for foreign vessels 5.725 tons, because they are under the CBWP (2021) standard as well as the national standard. Therefore, it is recommended that performance that is not optimal to be improved, by implementing ecoport management.

Efficiency analysis of seaports in Russia’s Baltic basin: performance evaluation

This research presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance efficiency of Russia’s Baltic seaports, taking into account various economic indicators and addressing investment planning and management issues. Special attention is given to the sustainable development goals and objectives of the seaports, considering their significance in transport and logistics systems. The primary objective of this work is to develop a system approach for conducting multi-­criteria studies on seaport performance efficiency. The findings obtained through the proposed methodology consider criteria at different levels of seaport management, offering valuable practical implications. Notably, this study fills a gap in the literature as no previous work has provided a comprehensive methodology for studying and analyzing ports from the perspectives of management, logistics, and macroeconomics. The system approach can also incorporate environmental considerations and innovative solutions in port infrastructure management. By proposing a new approach to interpreting statistics on Baltic seaports’ performance and presenting empirical research on sustainable development in transport and logistics systems, this study enables a multidimensional examination of seaport performance and establishes a framework for efficiency analysis and evaluation, which is crucial for effective management. The methodological scheme and algorithm for analyzing different categories of managers further facilitate the practical application of the approach. Moreover, it can serve as a strategic tool for informing regional economic policies regarding logistics and transportation.

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.

Time series forecasting for port throughput using recurrent neural network algorithm

ABSTRACT Container throughput is a critical factor to appraise a seaport performance and predicting this measure has played a vital role in port operations. Within the scope of effective decision making, predictive techniques have been presented for forecasting port throughput. Based on observing throughput variations in seasonal patterns and business cycles, the obtained data might help port authority to make better and more accurate decisions and improve seaport productivity. By applying predictive methods to the throughput data of Singapore and Busan port, the decision-makers can assess forecasting accuracy by measuring prediction errors. The numerical tests show that the echo state network (ESN) provides a high level of accuracy for predicting container throughput. As a result, the port managers could make use of this decision support strategy to foresee short-term plans for improving facilities, establishing effective cargo loading and unloading plans, consequently ensuring port productivity and profitability.

Application of geoeconomics in seaport operations: a theoretical proposal for post Covid-19 recovery strategy

ABSTRACT Johor Port and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) are two adjacent seaports act as backbone of the Malaysian international trade and economy. The probability of these seaports catering the same client is very high and may cause overlapping in the hinterland area. This will further result in the waste of resources, congestion in traffic and reducing the competitiveness of seaports. The situation worsened during Covid-19 outbreak as these two seaports faced issues related to capacity and efficiency. This paper employs geoeconomics concept to assist these seaports to design a post Covid-19 recovery plan for these seaports via temporal, spatial and policy taxonomies. An explanatory sequential mixed method design has been employed to meet aims of the paper. The results show that hinterlands in the Southern region are important as production centres, providing logistics efficiency and improving the connectivity. Given the importance of service recovery to continue patronage of these seaports among customers, revitalising 4th industrial revolution and materialising inland capacity are additional post Covid-19 recovery strategies for improved seaport performance from a policy and spatial taxonomies.

Determining Benchmarks for Cargo Throughput Performances of Privatized Seaports in Nigeria

There exists the challenge of seeming lack of empirically determined cargo throughput benchmark models for the privatized West African port terminals particularly in Nigeria, as target benchmarks which terminal operators and port authorities must drive towards to ensure that the current improvement in port productivity experienced in the post concession era is sustained. The study was therefore aimed at developing benchmarks for the cargo throughput performances of the privatized five Nigeria ports of Apapa (Lagos), Port-Harcourt, Onne, Warri and Calabar. Such benchmarks developed for each seaport must be higher than the pre-privatization cargo throughput performances of the seaport. This became important following the improvements observed in the cargo throughput performances of the various ports from the year 2006 after the privatization of the ports and the recent recession faced in the Country which seems to have retarded the cargo throughput performances and other measures of seaport performance in the various Nigeria ports. Using Cp1, CL1, Cw1, Co1, Cc1, to represent the base year 2006 cargo throughput performances of Port-Harcourt, Lagos, Warri, Onne and Calabar seaport respectively; and n, d, to represent the number of post privatization years covered in the study and common difference in cargo throughput performances; the study used a historical design approach in which time series data on cargo throughput performances of the ports were obtained from the Nigeria ports Authority (NPA) annual statistical reports were analyzed using the converging and diverging arithmetic series mathematical modeling tool and MATLAB software, to determine benchmark models, for ensuring that the improved cargo throughput performances of the various seaports, are sustained to remain higher that the pre-privatization cargo throughput performances. The study developed the following Cargo throughput benchmark models for each seaport as findings. Lagos port = CL1 + (n – 1)d ≥ 15223340; Onne port = Co1 + (n -1)d ≥ 15820381; Port-Harcourt port = Cp1 + ( n -1)d ≥ 28016979; Warri = Cw1 + ( n-1)d ≥4643128; Calabar = Cc1 + (n-1)d ≥ 7963434. It was recommended that to improve port revenue which is a dependent factor on cargo throughput and vessel call rate, cargo throughput benchmarks model developed for the individual seaports should be used to empirically model quantum s of cargo throughput needed to economically sustain and improve the level of port operations. It should equally influence port marketing drives. This will ensure that the performance of the ports does not recede into the poor performance indices experienced in the pre-privatization era.

A benchmarking study of Indian seaports

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to benchmark the operational and financial performances of the major Indian seaports to help derive useful insights to improve their performance.Design/methodology/approachA two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with the help of data collected on the 13 major seaports of India. The first stage of the DEA captured the operational efficiencies, while the second stage the financial performance.FindingsA window analysis over a period of three years revealed that no port was able to score an overall average efficiency of 100 per cent. The study identified the better performing units among their peers in both the stages. The contrasting results of the study with the traditional operational and financial performance measures used by the ports helped to derive useful insights.Research limitations/implicationsThe data used in the study were majorly limited to the available sources in the public domain. Also, the study was limited to the major seaports which are under the Government of India and no comparisons were carried out with other local or international ports.Practical implicationsThere is a need to prioritize investments and improvement efforts where they are most needed, instead of following a generalized approach. Once the benchmark ports are identified, the port authorities and other relevant stakeholders should work in detail on the factors causing inefficiencies, for possible improvements in performance.Originality/valueThis paper carried out a two-stage DEA that helped to derive useful insights on operational efficiency and financial performance of the India seaports. A combination of the financial and operational parameters, along with a comparison of the DEA results with the traditional measures, provided a different perspective on the Indian seaport performance. Considering the scarcity of research papers reported in the literature on DEA-based benchmarking studies of seaports in the Indian context, it has the potential to attract future research in this field.

Analysis of the Impact of the “Sea Toll” Program for Seaports: Resilience and Competitiveness

Maritime transportation is one of the most important global activities, especially for archipelagic countries. Inland components that exist within the seaport system, such as port authorities who manage passenger and cruise services even for container unloading and loading areas, have become an important aspect to improve performance and determine competitive strategies for seaports. The importance of this interdependence between ports with passenger services and container seaports led us to investigate the impact of the “sea toll” program on seaport resilience and competitiveness. Although the concept of a “sea toll” was initiated by the US government in 2011, there are only a few, if any, studies or clear standards related to the development of “sea toll” systems in archipelago countries. We conducted an empirical study in Indonesia through an online survey of key stakeholders of seaports, including shipping companies, seaport authorities, commodities companies, and government. The data were analyzed using the analytical hierarchy process technique and the results showed that the “sea toll” had an impact on seaport resilience and competitiveness. For seaport resilience, the “sea toll” had an impact on the strategic alliance. For competitiveness, the “sea toll” had an impact on seaport performance, including ship calling frequency and reliability.

Determining Benchmarks for Cargo Throughput Performances of Privatized Seaports in Nigeria

There exists the challenge of seeming lack of empirically determined cargo throughput benchmark models for the privatized West African port terminals particularly in Nigeria, as target benchmarks which terminal operators and port authorities must drive towards to ensure that the current improvement in port productivity experienced in the post concession era is sustained. The study was therefore aimed at developing benchmarks for the cargo throughput performances of the privatized five Nigeria ports of Apapa (Lagos), Port-Harcourt, One, Warri and Calabar. Such benchmarks developed for each seaport must be higher than the pre-privatization cargo throughput performances of the seaport. This became important following the improvements observed in the cargo throughput performances of the various ports from the year 2006 after the privatization of the ports and the recent recession faced in the Country which seems to have retarded the cargo throughput performances and other measures of seaport performance in the various Nigeria ports.

The impact of dry port operations on container seaports competitiveness

ABSTRACTThe concepts of intermodal logistics and distribution networks have made integration of the inland freight distribution system essential for an efficient container seaport system. Inland components, such as dry ports, which exist within the seaport system, have become important in shaping the performance and competitive strategies of container seaports. Owing to the importance of interdependence between dry ports and container seaports, this paper aims to investigate the impact of dry port operations on container seaport competitiveness. It conducted an empirical study in Malaysia through 120 online surveys to key stakeholders of dry ports, including freight forwarders, shippers, seaports, rail operator, shipping lines, and haulers. The data collected were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results from EFA show that Malaysian dry port operations have impacts on seaport competitiveness. These include enhancing seaport performance, increasing service variations for seaports, improving seaport-hinterland proximity, increasing seaport trade volume, and enhancing seaport capacity.

Substantiation of Value Oriented Management Changes of State Seaport

Efficient operations of state enterprises play a significant role in promoting development and growth of the national economy, and accordingly require implementing the most efficient model of governance. Given the state-seaport relation, current common concepts of port operations and their factors include features of Keynesian economic theory. Moreover, features of monetarism and institutionalism may be observed in the performance of seaports. The contrast between the assessment of seaport performance based on classical public administration and economic theories and the performance of the global maritime sector in modern market conditions raises the scientific problem of the research: Which methodology should be applied for comprehensive evaluation of added-value, created through the effective governance at the state seaport. The object of the research is the seaport governance. The aim of the research is to substantiate value oriented management changes of state seaport. The methods of the research include the following: systematic review, meta-analysis, analysis of scientific literature, logography, statistical analysis, interpretation, and generalization.Effective management consists of the following three managerial levels: operational management, strategical management, and governance. Each of latter management levels has different functional objectives and their consistent implementation creates the expected outcomes of effective management. The activities of state-owned companies are primarily based on their specific operational indicators, which create added value to the whole national economy. In order to achieve the highest possible added value, different management situations have to be modelled for the best solution to be found. According to the theory of public administration, especially related to the decentralization of state-owned enterprises, it is necessary to compare the indicators of financial efficiency and performance with the social and economic impact of the state-owned enterprises operating in the competitive market and region. The decentralization processes which occur due to the implementation of financial and institutional autonomy were implemented during the development of the new public management paradigm. At the end of the last century, many public management reforms were implemented in the area of infrastructure, transport and telecommunication management following the increase of the financial and institutional autonomy of state-owned enterprises. Such reforms were influenced by the shift of bureaucratic governance into corporate governance and following an increase of competitiveness in the market.Determining the effectiveness of seaport governance may indicate the level of complexity and linkages between the actors operating in the seaport and whole maritime transport sector. Moreover, the effectiveness of state-owned seaports may be evaluated and compared to other governance models by assessing the added value of activity and national socio-economic indicators. Economic theories provide a large variety of methodological approaches in defining and assessing performance. This responds to the tendency of the development of economic thought, related to the key differences between current economic schools and economic theory (postmodernist, free market, neoclassical, endogenous growth, etc.). It also promotes the need for forming a new research methodology, corresponding to modern economic development and operating environment, in order to reach a greater production and exchange efficiency, and social welfare maximization.In the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, the ports of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania compete with the ports of the Russian Federation. Comparing the main port activity indicator, the volume of cargo handling, the apparent trend of turnover of Lithuanian ports – cargo handling rate is lower than of the ports of the Russian Federation and is the largest in the Baltic states market. Based on the analysis of the results of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian ports, it can be argued that the positive and consistent improvement of the performance of the strategic object of the country, the state seaport, is a significant but insufficient indicator describing the country’s social, economic and environmental situation. This confirms the theoretical statements that good macroeconomic indicators of various sectors of the state economy are not a precise unit of measurement of the current situation, do not adequately describe the actual economic situation of the country and do not meet the expectations of the population. In order to reflect the real socio-economic situation, it is necessary to follow the systematic conception of quality of life, which interprets the quality of life of the population as an integrated concept that fully describes the ecological, economic, material and moral health of society, measured at the macro level (national scale) and micro level (from the point of view of an individual).

Developing Forecasts and Trends for Post Concession Performance of Onne Seaport: Framework for Performance Improvement

This paper examines the post concession performance of Onne seaport Nigeria. It obtained time series data covering a period of ten years on the performance indicators of Cargo throughput, Berth Occupancy rate and ship traffic volume of Onne seaport from the Nigerian ports Authority. The Secondary Data were collected from the Nigerian Ports Authority statistical reports for the period 2006-2015 of each performance indicator as basis for measuring sustainability and improving seaport performance. The moving average method of forecasting and trend analysis was used to analyze the collected data. It was found that there exist inconsistency in the post concession performance trend of the port and that seaport performance over the years covered in the study has not been sustained to remain high. The study recommended the development of performance benchmarks for each performance indicator as targets which port authorities and terminal operators must seek to achieve and /or exceed.

English

The purpose of this article is to analyze the opportunities for research on the theme evaluation of seaport performance through the investigation of a bibliographic portfolio of articles with scientific relevance. In order to reach this goal, the intervention tool used was ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist), which consists of a structured process for the generation of knowledge on a determined theme from the interests and limitations of the researcher, following a constructivist view and requiring a constant interaction between the researcher and the object of his research. The highlighted results are the identification of the main characteristics of the scientific publications about performance evaluation and the proposition of opportunities for research to researchers and seaport manager from the theoretical affiliation adopted for the theme performance evaluation. It was concluded that: (i) most researches about performance evaluation, aim at measuring the operational efficiency of seaports; (ii) the evaluation criteria do not contemplate and evaluate the performance of all the agents that play a role in the seaport environment; and (iii) the evaluation tools used do not show evidence as where and how to intervene to improve the performance measured. Thus, challenges emerge for researchers and also for seaport managers. Key words: Seaport management, evaluation of seaport performance, systemic analysis, opportunities for research, ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist).

English

The purpose of this article is to analyze the opportunities for research on the theme evaluation of seaport performance through the investigation of a bibliographic portfolio of articles with scientific relevance.  In order to reach this goal, the intervention tool used was ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist), which consists of a structured process for the generation of knowledge on a determined theme from the interests and limitations of the researcher, following a constructivist view and requiring a constant interaction between the researcher and the object of his research. The highlighted results are the identification of the main characteristics of the scientific publications about performance evaluation and the proposition of opportunities for research to researchers and seaport manager from the theoretical affiliation adopted for the theme performance evaluation. It was concluded that: (i) most researches about performance evaluation, aim at measuring the operational efficiency of seaports; (ii) the evaluation criteria do not contemplate and evaluate the performance of all the agents that play a role in the seaport environment; and (iii) the evaluation tools used do not show evidence as where and how to intervene to improve the performance measured. Thus, challenges emerge for researchers and also for seaport managers. Key words: Seaport management, evaluation of seaport performance, systemic analysis, opportunities for research, ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist).

The construction of knowledge from the scientific literature about the theme seaport performance evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to know what scientific literature presents about the theme evaluation of seaport performance, thus enabling the construction of knowledge in the researchers and the identification of gaps in the research that will lead to advances in the area from the identification of the characteristics of a portfolio of relevant international publications. Design/methodology/approach – From the basic philosophical (constructivism), of the kind strategy (research-action) and the method used for the accomplishment of such strategy (structured process knowledge development process – constructivist (ProKnow-C)) the current research has a qualitative approach. Findings – From the analysis of the bibliographic portfolio composed of 23 articles, the main results were: focus of the evaluation of seaport performance is on operational and tactical efficiency rather than on strategic and global performance; the majority of the studies does not relate to the reality experienced by seaport managers due to the limited interaction with these managers, evidencing a distance of the researchers from the object of their research; and performance evaluation was barely used/explored as a tool to support management, only for the sake of evaluation itself. Research limitations/implications – The search occurred in the databases Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest, Ebsco, Sciece Direct and Wiley. Originality/value – The identification of gaps that might promote advances in this field of knowledge, once the seaport segment is not exploring the potential that performance evaluation can offer and is already available in literature.

Logistics resources in seaport performance: multi-criteria analysis

Studying the logistics resource relationship within the framework of the overall performance of the main Iberian seaports performance, this article discusses how to apply the linear additive multi-criteria analysis (MCA) model and principal component analysis (PCA) to such an industry. The model incorporates the contribution of two different performance indicators—operational performance and physical capacity—measured by several indicators. First, we gather the 2009 annual data on the total cargo throughput of 16 seaport container terminals. The PCA method is then applied to attain the loading factor of each indicator and to normalize the redundancy in indicators and thereby generate meaningful results. We correspondingly find (a) operational performance contributed 48.77% while the physical capacity contributed 51.23% to overall performance; (b) the majority of seaports reveal a direct proportionality between their positioning in terms of physical capacity and their overall performance positioning; (c) this relationship changes whenever the difference in indicator value proves significant; and hence (d) this model demonstrates both its applicability and reliability in the case of the Iberian seaport industry and the relevance of encouraging multiple decision-makers to carefully consider identifying key criteria out of a given set of alternatives.

An assessment of the integration of seaports into supply chains using a structural equation model

PurposeThe changing role of seaports in supply chains has been the subject of extensive research in the recent literature. The strategic development of seaport terminals, responding to the need for closer integration into supply chains, invites a more detailed examination of the influence of the supply chain structures on seaport performance. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effects of supply chain structures, especially the degree of integration of seaports into supply chains, on seaport performance.Design/methodology/approachThe parameters for a structural equation model were identified in the first instance from the supply chain and seaport operations and management literature. The structural equation model itself was then devised, and subsequently refined, using data from Korean seaport terminal operators, shipping companies and freight forwarding companies. The structural equation model was used to assess the level of supply chain integration of seaports and the relationship to port performance.FindingsThe results indicate that the integration of seaports into supply chains has a positive impact on both the effectiveness and the efficiency of seaport performance. In addition, antecedents to seaport supply chain integration are identified; these suggest that a strong orientation to supply chain integration within a port operating company enables the company to adopt and implement a strategy that integrates functions within the port and with other upstream and downstream organisations.Research limitations/implicationsAs the field data were geographically limited to one country, extending the findings of this study to other geographical areas may not be possible, although the approach taken, using the structural equation modelling technique, should be transferrable elsewhere. Cross‐validation of the model would widen its applicability to other areas. The paper provides a framework that allows other researchers to examine the level of integration of ports into supply chains.Practical implicationsThe potential benefits of closer integration of seaports into supply chains are shown with supply chain integration having a positive effect on port performance. Seaports which do not integrate with their supply chains have a lower level of performance. Thus, enhanced port performance accruing from closer integration would have positive implications both for port and terminal managers and for other supply chain participants.Originality/valueThis study, for the first time, empirically examines the impact of the integration into supply chains of seaports on their performance. This is achieved by the development of a structural equation model which is then tested in the field, thus extending the existing literature which is largely conceptual or descriptive.