Port choice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: an analysis of the perspectives of exporters and importers in the container market

This paper analysed the port choice process from the perspective of two types of agents: 1) exporters/forwarders; 2) importers/forwarders. We used stated preference data collected in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Discrete choice models were tested. The best-performing models were mixed logit regression for both groups. The export model showed that road transport tariff, risk of cargo theft, number of ship calls, port tariff and cargo release time are important factors. The import models showed that taxation, road transport tariff, ship calls, port tariff and cargo release time are important variables. The models indicate that the ports in the region analysed are highly dependent on exogenous variables that port authorities cannot control. Some findings are achieved by comparing the outcomes for both groups. The value of time (VOT) referring to the willingness of companies to pay for the reduction of one unit (day) to release cargo at ports was calculated for each group. VOT for importers has a greater value. Different policy scenarios have been simulated to examine the impact of each policy on the market.