ATTRACTING INVESTMENT IN SEAPORTS BY FUZZY AHP

Abstract

This study aims to analyze and propose a model to attract investment into seaports using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method. To validate the proposed model, the study surveyed four container ports located in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau port area to calculate the criteria and factor weights. By employing the FAHP method, the experimental results indicate that the weights of the factors are as follows: investment efficiency (27.99%), infrastructure and technology (21.69%), market scale (19.52%), policy regulations (15.30%), port management capacity (15.51%). Among the investment evaluation criteria, five criteria are of most interest to investors: operating and maintenance costs (10.42%), financial performance (7.51%), market potential (6.81%), automation technology (6.15%), competitiveness (5.53%). The research results also demonstrate the effectiveness of the FAHP method in analyzing and evaluating multi-criteria decisions. Therefore, this method can be extended to evaluate other decisions related to port operations or supply chain activities such as: supplier selection decisions, operational risk analysis of ports, assessment of cargo handling capacity of terminals, etc. Additionally, the experimental results provide references for investment attraction activities of port authorities.