Low-cost port competitiveness index: Implementation in the Spanish port system

Spanish Port Authorities currently face a wide range of complexities in their decision-making processes, as they have to satisfy several port management objectives that may conflict with one another. This paper examines these circumstances by using decision theory methodology with multiple objectives, which, through the Promethee method, makes the design of an index possible. This index combines different decision factors that shape the competitiveness of a port to rank the Spanish Port Authorities. This ranking serves as an alternative to the traditional ranking system by easily providing more information about port traffic. The Promethee method was chosen because it is reliable, the outcomes are easy for decision makers to understand and the parameters can be economically interpreted. To account for any subjectivity in the measures for different criteria, we developed three survey campaigns aimed at the following groups: members of the port community, Port Authority managers and academic researchers.