Container efficiency in ports using the Malmquist index

Abstract

This study evaluates the productivity and efficiency of major Indian container ports using the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI), a dynamic tool derived from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). With over 90% of India’s trade by volume transported through maritime routes, enhancing container port performance is critical to economic growth and trade competitiveness. The research focuses on five key ports—JNPT, Mundra, Chennai, Cochin, and Kolkata—spanning the period 2018 to 2022. It analyzes their operational performance based on inputs such as quay cranes, berth length, and port area, and outputs measured in TEUs(Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). The study decomposes productivity changes into efficiency change (catch-up effect) and technological change (frontier shift), providing nuanced insights into the sources of performance variation. The results show that Mundra and JNPT achieved the highest productivity improvements due to balanced gains in both efficiency and technological advancement. Conversely, ports like Cochin and Kolkata exhibited stagnation or decline, highlighting infrastructural and managerial limitations.