Investigating the optimal performance indicators of the ports? operating systems in Oman

With over 90% of world trade channeled through ports, efficient and effective port operations management is a critical requirement to maintain strong customer relations and port reputation. In line with such objectives, this study aims at investigating the optimal operating conditions of Omani ports under different contextual settings, including GCC and Asia. The importance of our study stems from two facts: (1) An ambitious governmental plan to expand port infrastructure in Oman in view of exploiting the strategic location of the country and to improve contribution of non-oil sector to GDP, (2) many ports in Oman are still under construction or on plan, that is, operational data are yet to be available. The inexistence of data renders the analysis of port efficiency using conventional approaches not easy and, to the best of our knowledge; no previous research work has addressed explicitly such an issue, neither in Oman nor in any other country. Hence, we believe that there is here an opportunity to develop new tools to support decision makers in the field of performance analysis and to enrich the literature with novel approaches.