Prioritizing port resilience drivers and strategies: a case study of Chilean ports

Disruptive events increasingly challenge global port operations and infrastructure, emphasizing the need for robust resilience plans to maintain operational continuity during crises. Designing effective resilience strategies in port operations involves prioritizing key drivers and strategies by establishing a hierarchical structure and analyzing their systemic interactions. This paper proposes a methodology to prioritize resilience drivers with its strategies by considering multiple key port stakeholders. This approach aims to create a roadmap for implementing these drivers, providing ports with a comprehensive tool for planning and executing resilience strategies. The methodology integrates the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) with Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM). To illustrate its development, a case study focusing on two primary stakeholders, terminals and port authorities, in the Chilean port context is presented. The findings reveal that the main resilience strategies in Chilean ports include remote access to information by port authorities, alternative transport modes for port access and exit, rescheduling dispatches and cargo reception by port terminals, communication and call chains of the port authority, and remote access to information by port terminals. These results offer practical implications for port operations, providing clear guidance for implementing resilience strategies.