An evaluation of the relationship between ship turnaround time and key port performance indicators: a case study of a Southern African port

The competitiveness of a container port is dependent on the productivity of its container terminal operations. To enhance productivity, management of logistics and implementation of strategies are crucial. This paper aims to identify performance measures impacting productivity within the container terminal port operations value chain through a combination of a case study and documentary research. Data was collected quantitatively from marine, container, and hinterland dimensions. Regression and multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine correlations between independent and dependent key performance measures. The study found that almost 80% of changes in ship turnaround time (STAT) were explained by the measures investigated, including anchorage (AWT), gross crane (GCH) and ship working hours (SWH), and rail (RTT) and truck turnaround times (TTT). Improvements in gross crane and ship working hours, together with rail turnaround, resulted in increased productivity. This study contributes to new knowledge by examining the relationship between STAT as a dependent variable and AWT, GCH, SWT, TTT, and RTT as independent variables using a case study of a Southern African port. The significance of the study is its contribution to revealing the relationship between STAT and other key performance indicators of container terminal productivity levels in a port.