Measurement of container security at dry ports

In recent years, container security at nodes in the international supply chains such as inland dry ports has become a major concern on the international maritime agenda. If security measures and initiatives are not carefully designed and effectively implemented, they can negatively impact the entire maritime transport chain. Yet, there are limited studies conducted on this subject. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by devising a framework for measuring the quality of container security at dry ports by conducting an empirical study to verify the quality of container security at 26 Indian dry ports. The study was conducted by using the triangulation of both mail survey and in-depth interview techniques. It was evident from this study that the standards of container security at the said dry ports left much to be desired. The paper also analyses the reasons for such abysmal level of container security at the dry ports. Statistical analysis employed in this paper reveal that there is a clear consensus amongst all the respondents that quality of container security at dry ports is a construct consisting of five dimensions, namely, equipment, personnel, policy and planning, drills and training, and security audit. In the context of Indian dry ports, the quality gaps of container security service are currently related to policy and planning, as well as security equipment. The paper also argues that the positive outcomes of container security at dry ports could be realized only if the dry ports employ effective container secwity management stmtegies. Finally, academic and manage1ial implications are explained and future research directions along this research area will be outlined.