Analysing The Determinants Of Dry Port Selection By Shippers In Nigeria

Abstract

The shortage of free space in seaports necessitates the search for alternatives. This paper focuses on the Dry port concept; an inland cargo terminal as way out of the space problem in conventional seaports. The Dry port concept is based on the construction of intermodal freight terminals away from the seaports, in the hinterland. The study was carried out to determine the service and spatial attributes which potential users of Dry ports facilities consider important in selecting them for their operation. A stated preference questionnaire was employed to elicit responses from randomly selected shipping and freight forwarding firms in eastern Nigeria. This was subjected to a Factor Analysis using the Maximum Likelihood Technique. Results show that attributes related to port\'s level of service, security, efficiency, infrastructure and proximity to market are the most important factors influencing choice of Dry ports by shippers

Keywords: Dry ports; factor analysis; maximum likelihood; determinants


JORIND Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 3-3