Container terminals in Europe : cost, price, efficiency and quality

ISBN-13: 9783639190489 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 200 str.

Bart Wiegmans

Opis

The knowledge about the European container terminal market is limited. Therefore, in this book, several research methods have been used to gather new data about the container terminal market. Firstly, literature survey provides the essential theoretical backgrounds for each chapter. Secondly, a database of over 500 European container terminals is used in order to perform the efficiency analysis. Thirdly, interviews with 14 Dutch terminal operators are used to provide in-depth analysis of maritime and continental terminals in Europe. The book provides insights into the cost structure of terminals and pricing schemes terminals. Furthermore, the efficiency of container terminals is analysed by using the frontier and DEA methods. Finally, the quality of container terminal services is researched by applying the SERVQUAL method. In the end, the research methods provide input for determining critical performance conditions for container terminals.

O autorze

Bart Wiegmans is senior researcher and section coordinator of the group Transport and Infrastructure at the Technical University of Delft, Research Institute OTB. His main interests are in intermodal freight transport and infrastructure, combined with engineering economics.