Relative efficiency analysis of container ports in Middle East using DEA

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative efficiency of major container ports in the Middle East between the years 2011-2013. The required information was collected from scientific resources. The input and output data was collected from the statistical yearbook of the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization and the official website of each of the foreign ports. Firstly, in this study the relative efficiency of the ports was evaluated via a basic model of the DEA-technique, namely BCC-O. Afterwards, the ports were ranked based on the achieved results. To rank ports with 100% efficiency, the Anderson-Peterson method was used. Based on the results of the output-oriented CCR model that represents the overall technical efficiency, the port of Khorafkan has the highest coefficient of efficiency and Bandar-e-Imam Khomeini was the weakest port in this respect. The average efficiency of the studied ports was 54.3% in the period under study. Finally, virtual ports were proposed as a template for inefficient ports to improve efficiency.