Deep‐sea container carrier performance: how efficient are the respective container carriers?

The central research question in this article is: how efficient are globally operating deep‐sea container carriers compared with each other? The answer is that most deep‐sea container carriers are quite efficient. A point efficiency analysis shows that, first, the differences between the respective container carriers are considerable, and secondly, that efficiency depends on the carriers' strategy if performance in terms of a certain indicator is 'good' or 'aimed for'. From the input‐oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) under constant returns to scale (CRS) it follows that most carriers are efficient or close to being efficient. Actually, this range of efficiency for deep‐sea container carriers in such a volatile business environment is a good performance, and indicates that the carriers are successful in dealing with the Cob‐Webb theorem. The input‐oriented DEA [under variable returns to scale (VRS)] also shows that most carriers are efficient. The output‐oriented analysis [under both CRS and VRS] again indicates that most deep‐sea container carriers are efficient.