Approaching the relative productivity of infrastructure in Mediterranean container terminals with the use of DEA

The authors would like to thank Professor Shuo Ma of the World Maritime University (WMU) for his comments and support, as well as the staff of the WMU library for their effort and assistance during the data collection stage. All statistical data come from various sources such as Containerisation, Fairplay and the publications of ISL.The comparison of ports in terms of economic performance, infrastructure, marketing is an integral part of the strategic planning for policy makers, as well as for port managers and investors. In the functions of productivity and efficiency, some of the terms are defined in a deterministic way, while others, usually of a qualitative nature are estimated only subjectively. In addition, every port serves a different region or market or industry and enjoys different hinterland connections, status of ownership and management. Consequently the comparison of ports is a difficult and risky process with the use of only one model, if not impossible.peer-reviewe