A disaggregate analysis of port selection

With this article we use an alternative form of the discrete choice model to analyze the distribution of maritime shipments among US ports. We model the distribution as a function of the characteristics that describe each shipment and each port. We assume that vessel schedules are fixed in the short-term and examine the assignment to ports for exports of various commodity-types as a function of geographic location, port characteristics, and characteristics of vessel schedules. We find that the most significant characteristic of a port is its location. We show also how the market share predicted for a port can be expected to vary with each commodity-type and each carrier, and we show how the choice process varies for discretionary cargo.