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Performance Index 2023 (CPPI)
Guidance Note for the Container Port
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI)
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Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI)
Table of Contents
1 Objective of the CPPI ......................................................................................... 2
2 Methodology of the CPPI ................................................................................... 4
2.1 What the CPPI measures ................................................................................................... 4
2.2 How the CPPI measures time in port ................................................................................ 4
2.3 How are ports included in the CPPI ................................................................................... 5
2.4 How are ports ranked in the CPPI ..................................................................................... 5
3 Interpreting CPPI results .................................................................................... 7
4 Limitations of the CPPI ....................................................................................... 9
4.1 Uni-dimensional assessment ............................................................................................. 9
4.2 Data quality and coverage ................................................................................................. 9
4.3 Underlying root causes .................................................................................................... 10
5 Recommendations for stakeholders ................................................................ 13
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 1
1
Objective of the CPPI
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 2
1 Objective of the CPPI
Container ports are critical nodes in globally connected supply chains, handling
merchandise and semi-finished products. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI)
measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference
for stakeholders in the global economy and for the sustainable development of ports.
A timely turnaround of container ships is critical to keep logistics costs low and supply
chains efficient so that ports remain resilient catalysts for development. Time-efficient
container ports enable fuel and emissions savings from ships, making the index an
important contributor to shipping decarbonization efforts.
The objective of the CPPI is to provide an objective measure of container port performance,
identify global or local trends in maritime container trade efficiency, and highlight where
vessel time in port could be improved. Since its first edition in 2021, the World Bank has
partnered with S&P Global Market Intelligence to publish the CPPI annually.
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 3
2
Methodology of the CPPI
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 4
2 Methodology of the CPPI
2.1 What the CPPI measures
The methodology of the CPPI focuses on a comparative measurement of the total time
spent by vessels in port, establishing a metric for container port efficiency. The CPPI
methodology assesses the sequential steps of container ship port calls at a specified
container terminal. ‘Total port hours’ is defined as the total aggregated time from the
moment a ship arrives at the port (either port limits, or waiting zone, whichever event
occurs first) until the vessel leaves the berth after having completed its cargo operations.
Therefore, the CPPI also captures the wait time ships may experience before berthing.
While a terminal may work a ship in a time comparable to global benchmarks, delays before
cargo operations may still lead to schedule disruptions for shipping lines. In any event, this
results in additional costs for shipping lines and consumers, and avoidable air pollution and
greenhouse gases. However, wait time potentially occurring after the ship has departed
from its berth is not included in the CPPI since this is no longer linked to port operations.
2.2 How the CPPI measures time in port
The CPPI only measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative
operational data. The CPPI builds on a dataset provided by ten of the world’s largest liner
shipping companies, collectively operating close to 80 percent of global fleet capacity. This
primary source of quantitative data, which comes from port call databases of shipping lines
(e.g., terminal departure reports), is then compared to a secondary, independent source of
data linked to the Automatic Information System (AIS). Data received from shipping lines
undergoes validation and quality checks and are mapped to the AIS movement datasets for
verification. AIS further helps to establish geo-fenced zones and match and add arrival
timestamps at waiting locations such as an anchorage, waiting zones, and at port limits.
Arrival times at these positions are usually not reported in a standardized fashion which the
CPPI addresses.
Consequently, the CPPI utilizes two different and independent sources of data to calculate
total port hours, or ship turnaround time. Firstly, liner shipping companies provide ship-
level timestamps. Secondly, AIS matches timestamps to ship-level. For the 2023 CPPI
edition, there was a 98 percent match between the AIS and the data provided by shipping
lines globally. The CPPI leverages extensive AIS coverage, proprietary to S&P Global Market
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 5
Intelligence, using both satellite receivers and around 8,000 earth-based antennas mounted
on ships and in coastal areas, resulting in high data integrity.
2.3 How are ports included in the CPPI
For the 2023 edition, performance time stamp data were captured for 194,198 port calls
involving 253.7 million container moves at 876 container terminals in 508 ports worldwide.
For ports to be included in the CPPI, at least 24 container ship port calls must be verifiably
reported. Therefore, the fourth edition of the CPPI relies on data from 405 container ports
with at least 24 container ship port calls in the calendar year 2023. For ports, which are
home to several container terminals, the final score will be aggregated across terminals and
reported under the host port’s name only.
2.4 How are ports ranked in the CPPI
As in earlier editions of the CPPI, the ranking employs two different methodological
approaches: an administrative (technical) approach and a statistical approach (using matrix
factorization). To arrive at the overall ranking, these two rankings are combined to ensure
that the ranking of container ports reflects actual port performance as closely as possible
while also being statistically robust.
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 6
3
Interpreting CPPI results
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 7
3 Interpreting CPPI results
The objective of the CPPI is to provide an objective measure of container port performance
based on vessel time in port at a global level to identify performance gaps and spot
opportunities for improvement. Factors that can influence the time vessels spend in ports
can be location-specific and under the port’s control (endogenous) or external and beyond
the control of the port (exogenous).
The CPPI measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data only,
which do not reveal the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times. The
underlying data, however, can indicate through benchmarking, which aspect of the port call
process performance is relatively better or worse. It is not the objective of the CPPI to
reward high ranking ports but to highlight container ports in which vessel time in port is
objectively lower or higher.
Generally, the ranking of an individual port is always a relative measurement of vessel time
in port against all container ports captured by the CPPI. If, for example, the global average
vessel time in port has decreased (improved) over the previous CPPI period, while an
individual port has experienced disruptions, which led to prolonged port stays compared to
the previous CPPI year, that individual port would inevitably experience a relative drop in
ranking. A low ranking or significant change in ranking may have different root causes and
may warrant special attention, for which the World Bank generally recommends a detailed
diagnostic of the underlying factors. For the same reason, a simple comparison of CPPI
rankings across two ports may not account for the uniquely different circumstances of
these two ports.
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 8
4
Limitations of the CPPI
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 9
4 Limitations of the CPPI
4.1 Uni-dimensional assessment
Like many other indices, the CPPI synthesizes a complex performance continuum into one
key metric—time—and it should be interpreted accordingly. While being a very relevant
metric of port performance, the time vessels spend in port to complete defined workloads
represents only one dimension of a container port’s performance.
In general, port performance is a multi-dimensional concept. For example, next to time, a
container port’s performance can also be assessed from the perspectives of ship traffic
(number of vessels), total container throughput (number of containers handled), utilization
(of berths, cranes, yard areas), customer satisfaction, environmental/social best practices,
and financial results (profits or losses). Some of these perspectives and their metrics do
correlate with time. Time is a uniform, universally accepted perspective and metric,
enabling a cross comparison between container ports.
4.2 Data quality and coverage
The data used for the CPPI is collected from ten of the largest container shipping lines. Only
verified port call data provided by the carriers become part of the CPPI. There is a 98
percent global match rate between the port call data from shipping lines and independently
sourced AIS data. This leads to a coverage of around 50 percent of all container port calls
globally. As a result, the data quality is deemed reliable.
Yet, a certain share of container port calls—by often smaller, independent shipping lines
mostly using smaller vessels—do not feed into the CPPI. Still, the exclusive use of
standardized and verified global data, in contrast to subjective perceptions frequently used
in other indices, makes the CPPI a uniquely objective and robust index. Different container
ports function under different circumstances such as size and location. The CPPI lists all
ports in a single table and also groups container ports with their peers by region and size.
These subset rankings allow for a more equitable comparison of different ports. The CPPI
also groups ports by size. Small ports are considered container ports, which handle less
than 0.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year, while medium-sized and large
ports handle between 0.5 million and 4 million TEUs, and more than 4 million TEUs
respectively.
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 10
As far as a container port’s geographic subset is concerned, many ports may have a global
function and serve multiple regions, other than the region they are located in. Differences
may exist between gateway ports, that is, those that focus on import and/or export of
containers, and transshipment ports. Many ports combine both a gateway and
transshipment function. The CPPI ranking does not currently distinguish between ports
whose activity is primarily to serve as a gateway port and others for which most of its traffic
comes from transshipment.
4.3 Underlying root causes
The CPPI provides an effective assessment of how container ports perform relatively to
each other, based on the measurement of vessel time spent in ports. However, the CPPI
alone is not able to reveal the underlying root causes of why some container ports may
perform better than others, and whether this difference can be explained by endogenous
or exogenous factors. Examples of factors negatively affecting the relative ranking of ports
can include:
• Management inefficiencies: Operational inefficiencies can be a cause for poor port
performance. Frequent examples include, but are not limited to, port gate planning
and execution, vessel and container yard planning, equipment deployment and
scheduling, labor planning and management, and operations monitoring and
contingency response.
• Organizational limitations: Some ports may work vessels around the clock and
seven days a week, while other ports may have limitations towards work hours or on
certain days due to bylaws, labor framework agreements, or customary practices.
This may delay the completion of cargo operations.
• Geographical and physical barriers: Ports may have physical limitations for
capacity expansion while demand grows. Also, some ports (e.g., river and tidal ports)
may face spatial and temporary restrictions for navigation, which could increase the
likelihood of delays.
• Infra- and superstructure challenges: Scheduled or non-scheduled events, like
natural disasters, maintenance, or civil works may affect the availability and
performance of heavy port infrastructure (e.g., quay) or superstructure (e.g.,
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 11
handling gear, cranes). Limited digitalization efforts and the absence of effective
soft trade facilitation policies may contribute to poor port performance as well.
• Demand volatility: A sudden increase in container traffic demand can temporarily
exceed a port’s physical or organizational capacity. Congestion and delays can be
amplified when a response to such a demand increase is delayed.
• Extraordinary events: Geopolitical or security issues, including response measures,
as well as climate events, may affect normal trade patterns and can lead to shifts in
demand and infrastructure challenges, amongst others.
The CPPI can reveal where in the anatomy of a port call (e.g., at anchorage or at berth)
vessels may spend more or less time in a certain port. Yet, without additional location-
specific analysis on the ground, it may not be possible to quickly identify the underlying
root causes for a relatively better or worse performance.
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 12
5
Recommendations for
stakeholders
Guidance Note for the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI) 13
5 Recommendations for stakeholders
Given the CPPI’s ability to assess relative port performance, yet its constraints to explain
relative port performance, the World Bank recommends a detailed location-specific
diagnostic with the goal of improving the operating efficiency in container terminals. This
seems particularly beneficial for container ports with relatively low rankings over several
years or significant changes in their ranking from one year to another. The World Bank
stands ready to facilitate and support such diagnostics in its client countries.
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