Effect of the container terminal characteristics on performance

This paper focuses on the port and container terminal characteristics and evaluates its contribution to performance measured by the efficiency, productivity, activity and customer satisfaction. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology was developed to determine which factors are characteristics of a port and container terminal. A questionnaire was submitted to senior managers of companies currently operating in twelve container terminals, both Portuguese and Spanish, and 122 validated answers were obtained. The results confirm the influence of the port and terminal characteristics on the terminal container performance through of the efficiency, productivity, and activity level and customer satisfaction.