The Efficiency Measurement of Coastal Container Terminals in China

Following the implementation of the twelfth consecutive Five-Year Plan, the development pattern of coastal container ports in China has been shifted, which requires higher port efficiency and an improved development mode. The three-stage DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) model is applied on the basis of input-output cross-sectional data of 42 coastal container terminals in China. The model statistically evaluates the comprehensive efficiency, the pure technical efficiency and the scale efficiency of coastal container terminals. The outcome shows that the efficiency of coastal container terminals is rather low in China, and scale inefficiency is the primary reason. There is a big difference in terminal efficiency of different port groups. The terminal efficiency of Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Rim is relatively high, but Southeast Coast and Pearl River Delta's is comparatively low. Furthermore, there is an excessive waste in the input of container terminal development in China. In the final section, suggestions are proposed for the existing problems in port developments.