Analysis of Global Competition in Container Port Performance Using the LOPCOW–CRADIS Integrated Method

This study analyses the container port performance of the twenty one countries with the highest number of port calls using UNCTADstat's 2023 container port performance data, employing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. In the model, created by determining six criteria from a potential eight performance criteria as a result of correlation analysis, has criterion weights determined using the LOPCOW method, while the countries' performance rankings were created using the CRADIS method. The findings show that the criterion median time in port, which indicates the length of stay at the port, has the highest importance level, while indicators related to container capacity and age of vessels are other critical factors determining performance. According to the results of the CRADIS, China has been identified as the nation demonstrating the highest levels of performance, with Japan, Singapore and France also ranking highly. Conversely, Norway, Australia, Philippines and Russia demonstrate the lowest performance. Sensitivity analyses revealed high consistency between different weighting (SD, CRITIC, Entropy) and ranking methods (CODAS, MABAC, MAIRCA, ARAS, CoCoSo). The results indicate that improving port performance depends not only on infrastructure capacity but also on operational efficiency, quay planning, and reducing stay time at the port.