2012年-世界发展银行全球_Why_Cargo_Dwell_Time_Matters_in_Trade_4页_1mb

Summary of the Document: Why Cargo Dwell Time Matters in Trade

Core Content

The document explores the issue of cargo dwell time in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ports, highlighting its significant impact on trade efficiency and economic growth. It challenges the common assumption that poor infrastructure and inefficient border control agencies are the primary causes of long dwell times, instead pointing to collusion between public and private sector actors as a major contributing factor. The study emphasizes that while infrastructure investments are important, they alone are insufficient to address the root causes of port delays.

Main Points

1. Importance of Reducing Dwell Time

• Dwell time refers to the time containers spend in ports or their extensions.
• Long dwell times (often over 15 days) are a major obstacle to trade efficiency in SSA, compared to under a week in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
• Delays increase inventory costs, reduce competitiveness, and hinder integration into global supply chains.

2. Factors Contributing to Dwell Time

• Transaction and storage time are the main causes, not poor handling.
• Collusion between customs agencies, port authorities, private terminal operators, logistics operators, and large shippers leads to inefficiencies and higher costs.
• Importers often benefit from long dwell times due to low logistics skills and cash constraints, which increase their input costs if they clear cargo quickly.

3. Market Structure and Strategic Behavior

• Monopolistic and oligopolistic behavior among shippers and intermediaries can lead to the strategic use of dwell time to deter competition.
• Companies may deliberately leave cargo in ports if the cost of immediate clearance exceeds the savings from using cheaper port storage.
• Penalty storage fees in Durban have successfully reduced dwell time to 3–4 days, showing the potential of such policies.

4. Challenges in Reducing Dwell Time

• Short-term collusive strategies among private sector actors make it difficult to reduce dwell time.
• Institutional reforms and public governance are essential to break these collusive patterns.
• Physical infrastructure expansion is not a sufficient solution without addressing underlying market structures.

Key Information

1. Dwell Time in SSA Ports (Table 1)

• Durban: 4 days
• Douala: 19 days
• Lomé: 18 days
• Tema: 20 days
• Mombasa: 11 days
• Dar es Salaam: 14 days
• Average (Durban excluded): 16 days

2. Policy Recommendations (Table 2)

Conclusion

The study concludes that reducing cargo dwell time in SSA requires a shift in focus from infrastructure investment to institutional reform and market restructuring. It stresses the importance of public governance, transparent pricing, and policy alignment to address the collusive behaviors that sustain inefficiencies. The Durban model provides a successful example of how penalty storage fees and public-private cooperation can significantly improve port performance.

Implications for Donors

Donors should re-evaluate their intervention strategies and focus on market incentives rather than just infrastructure. They should:

• Encourage price-based incentives to promote fast clearance.
• Avoid unnecessary infrastructure investments that do not address structural issues.
• Promote system transparency and public awareness of logistics costs.

Notes

• The study analyzed six major SSA ports: Tema (Ghana), Lomé (Togo), Douala (Cameroon), Mombasa (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Durban (South Africa).
• Containerized trade dominates SSA imports, and data on containers are more reliable than bulk cargo data.
• Port efficiency has a strong impact on maritime transport costs, as shown by previous studies.
• Nigeria was included due to its significant port reforms and persistent dwell time issues.

References

• Arvis, Jean-François, Gael Raballand, and Jean-François Marteau. 2010. The Cost of Being Landlocked. Washington, DC: World Bank.
• Hummels, D. 2001. "Time as a Trade Barrier." GTAP Working Paper 1152, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University.
• Kgare, T., G. Raballand, and H. W. Ittman. 2011. "Cargo Dwell Time in Durban." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 5794, Washington, DC.
• Raballand, G., S. Refas, M. Beuran, and G. Isik. 2012. Why Do Cargo Spend Weeks in Sub-Saharan African Ports? Washington, DC: World Bank.
• Wilmsmeier, Gordon, Jan Hoffmann, and Ricardo Sanchez. 2006. "The Impact of Port Characteristics on International Maritime Transport Costs." In Research in Transportation Economics, Volume 16, ed. Kevin Cullinane and Wayne Talley. Elsevier.