Berth Efficiency Under Risk Conditions in Seaports Through Integrated DEA and AHP Analysis

In the context of increasingly complex and dynamic maritime logistics, seaports serve as critical nodes for intermodal transport, energy distribution, and global trade. Ensuring the safe and uninterrupted operation of port infrastructure—particularly berths—is vital for maintaining supply chain resilience. This study explores the impact of multiple risk categories on berth efficiency in a seaport, aligning with the growing emphasis on maritime safety and risk-informed decision-making. A two-stage methodology is adopted. In the first phase, the DEA CCR input-oriented model is employed to assess the efficiency of selected berths considered as Decision Making Units (DMUs). In the second phase, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to categorize and quantify the impact of four major risk classes—operational, technical, safety, and environmental—on berth efficiency. The results demonstrate that operational and safety risks contribute 63.91% of the composite weight in the AHP risk assessment hierarchy. These findings are highly relevant to contemporary efforts in maritime risk modeling, especially for individual ports and port systems with high berth utilization and vulnerability to system disruptions. The proposed integrated approach offers a scalable and replicable decision-support tool for port authorities, port operators, planners, and maritime safety stakeholders, enabling proactive risk mitigation, optimal utilization of available resources in a port, and improved berth performance. Its methodological design is appropriately suited to support further applications in port resilience frameworks and maritime safety strategies, being one of the bases for establishing collision avoidance strategies related to an individual port and/or port system, too.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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