Constantinos I. Chlomoudis

Testing the SERVQUAL scale in the passenger port industry: a confirmatory study

A key question is whether the service quality instruments developed for other services’ industries may be used to gauge service quality perceptions in shipping. Grounded on similar studies that test the most widely used American service quality instrument, SERVQUAL, in the commercial shipping sector, this study examines its applicability in the passenger shipping realm. Based on a survey of 436 passengers in Piraeus port, SERVQUALs five main dimensions have been checked regarding their fit with the use of Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results support that this is a valid instrument for measuring service quality in passenger shipping besides certain considerations regarding its dimensionality. A more parsimonious two-factor model seems more applicable and should therefore be also considered. Finally, it is evident from the study that passengers place more importance to the physical than the interactive elements of service to form their overall satisfaction.

A Risk Assessment Methodology in Container Terminals: The Case Study of the Port Container Terminal of Thessalonica, Greece

Amidst the ever increasing demand for the unhindered flow of freight throughout the world, seaport safety is emerging as a critical factor which increasingly dictates the need to establish a proactive approach towards addressing the associated risks rather than the traditional reactive response to port accidents. This paper proposes and presents a proactive methodology for port safety risk assessment (including the techno-economically effective prioritized control) which constitutes an adaptation of the FSA (Formal Safety Assessment) for ships. The ability of the proposed methodology to offer this standardized approach for PRA (Port Risk Assessment) is demonstrated through reference to the container terminal of the Greek Port of Thessalonica, for which an empirical study is contacted utilizing the historical record of encountered accidents with regard to their frequency of occurrence and their impact upon the human and environmental resources of the port.

Tangible Assets Threats and Hazards: Risk Assessment and Management in the Port Domain

Port systems are more prone to being risk oriented. Many specific methods have been found to assess risk in a port area or operation. A review is presented in different approaches on human and environmental risks in port area. On the other hand, there is no specific risk management method or framework to cope with threats and hazards regarding on port machines or material accidents and port assets damages or losses. This paper presents a risk management methodology, seeking to investigate a process of assessing the assets hazards and damages into the domain of port container terminal, by taking into account its different factors and their mutual influences. This methodology constitutes a decision support framework that will be used to conduct port to port risk evaluations or to assess a whole port’s and terminal’s risk level in the critical field of assets damages and losses, in order to facilitate improvement strategies. An empirical study is contacted for the years of 2003~2012, in order to provide evidence for risk assessment and management in an economic effective way, regarding port assets damages and losses, at the Port Container Terminal of Piraeus in Greece.