The worldwide maritime network of container shipping: spatial structure and regional dynamics (original) (raw)
Related papers
Geography versus topology in the evolution of the global container shipping network (1977–2016)
Geographies of Maritime Transport, 2020
The dynamical properties of so-called spatial and complex networks are often overlooked in graph theory and network science in general. Container shipping provides a rare example of a global transport network that went through tremendous technological and geographic changes in the last decades or so. This chapter proposes for the first time an empirical analysis of no less than 40 years of inter-port vessel movement data (1977-2016) to describe the evolving properties of the global container shipping network. Main results confirm a number of stylized facts such as the growing size, connectivity, and centralization of this network due to several factors such as economies of scale in liner shipping and the rationalization of related maritime services, the emergence of hub ports, etc. We also provide a new cartography of how had the global container shipping network been geographically distributed over time, thereby highlighting major shifts in terms of port hierarchies and main corridors. We believe that this chapter will contribute to a better understanding of the complex linkages between network structure, technological change, and spatial change, opening the way for new research paths on maritime transport research and network science in general when focusing on evolutionary dynamics.
Journal of Transport Geography, 2012
The reaction to the financial and economic crisis has shown a new redesign of scenarios taking into account the changes made by maritime companies choosing different ports. In this research, containerized traffic evolution in 2008 and 2010 is described, both in big ports and geographic regions as from the emergent port activity areas. Database used is a sample of the world containership fleet movements that have called in some Chinese port in the years analysed. Calculus methodologies based on Graph Theory are applied to this set of data, able to give information about the global and local importance of a port given. Containerized goods transportation network have been contracted between 2008 and 2010 respect the port throughput, but there's no contraction in the distribution capacity of the main hub ports, which seem to have adopted commercial diversification strategies and foreland expansion. On the other hand, port emergent regions placed in the entrance and exit of Panama Canal will have important business opportunities.
Maritime Policy & Management, 2010
This paper is essentially an empirical investigation in the network analysis of inter-port traffic flows. Based on a database of vessel movements, it applies conventional techniques of network analysis to the graph of Northeast Asian liner networks in 1996 and 2006. Such approach proves particularly helpful for analysing the changing position of major hub ports and for revealing their respective tributary areas within the region. Despite rapid traffic growth at Chinese ports during the period under study, the latter seem to remain polarized by established hubs such as Korean ports and Hong Kong. This research reveals the strong relation between local port policies and the evolution of shipping network design.
Ports in multi-level maritime networks
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2010
While maritime transport ensures about 90% of world trade volumes, it has not yet attracted as much attention as other transport systems from a graph perspective. As a result, the relative situation and the evolution of seaports within maritime networks are not well understood. This paper wishes verifying to what extent the hub-and-spoke strategies of ports and ocean carriers have modified the structure of a maritime network, based on the Atlantic case. We apply graph measures and clustering methods on liner movements in 1996 and 2006. The methodology also underlines which ports are increasing their position by carriers" circulation patterns on various scales. This research demonstrates that the polarization of the Atlantic network by few dominant ports occurs in parallel with the increased spatial integration of this area by shipping lines.
Measuring the effect of distance on the network topology of the Global Container Shipping Network
Scientific Reports, 2021
This paper examines how spatial distance affects network topology on empirical data concerning the Global Container Shipping Network (GCSN). The GCSN decomposes into 32 multiplex layers, defined at several spatial levels, by successively removing connections of smaller distances. This multilayer decomposition approach allows studying the topological properties of each layer as a function of distance. The analysis provides insights into the hierarchical structure and (importing and exporting) trade functionality of the GCSN, hub connectivity, several topological aspects, and the distinct role of China in the network’s structure. It also shows that bidirectional links decrease with distance, highlighting the importance of asymmetric functionality in carriers’ operations. It further configures six novel clusters of ports concerning their spatial coverage. Finally, it reveals three levels of geographical scale in the structure of GCSN (where the network topology significantly changes): ...
Ports in multi-level maritime networks: evidence from the Atlantic (1996–2006
Journal of Transport Geography, 2010
While maritime transport ensures about 90% of world trade volumes, it has not yet attracted as much attention as other transport systems from a graph perspective. As a result, the relative situation and the evolution of seaports within maritime networks are not well understood. This paper wishes verifying to what extent the hub-and-spoke strategies of ports and ocean carriers have modified the structure of a maritime network, based on the Atlantic case. We apply graph measures and clustering methods on liner movements in 1996 and 2006. The methodology also underlines which ports are increasing their position by carriers" circulation patterns on various scales. This research demonstrates that the polarization of the Atlantic network by few dominant ports occurs in parallel with the increased spatial integration of this area by shipping lines.
Spatial pattern of the global shipping network and its hub-and-spoke system
Research in Transportation Economics, 2011
Port system is a research focus of transport geography, and most studies believe carriers are important factors in the development and concentration of the port system. Since the 1990s, carriers have played an important role in organizing the global shipping network and reorganizing the port system. But there isn't a perfect method to evaluate carriers' influence and the roles of each port in the maritime shipping networks. In this paper, we use the monthly schedule table of international carriers to describe and model the spatial pattern of the global shipping network and identify its hub-and-spoke system. The result shows that a hierarchical structure exists in the global shipping network. The North Hemisphere, especially the East Asia and the Southeast Asia, is a dominant region of the worldwide shipping network. East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Europe, and East coast of the USA are the concentration regions of worldwide shipping lines. The ports of Hong Kong, Singapore, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Kaohsiung etc have advanced capacity for maritime shipping and high potentials for being hub ports in the global shipping network. Today, the worldwide shipping network is transforming from the multi-port calling system to 44 regional hub-and-spoke systems. Meanwhile, the sub-networks with hub ports of Antwerp, Singapore, and Hong Kong have become the most important ones and dominate the whole global shipping network.
GeoJournal, 2014
Regional trade cooperation , economic growth and greater political stability have enabled increased container throughput and container port capacity development. Earlier academic work has indicated that the functional position of this port region in the global maritime network might be shifting from a remote region in the periphery of the network to a more intermediate position. This paper aims to analyze the changing level of peripherality and remoteness of the Southern African container port system as part of the global container shipping network. The central hypothesis is that Southern Africa has moved from a remote shipping region to more central shipping region in the global network. The methodology consists of the calculation of network measures for ports in the Southern African port system. The changing geographical distribution of flows among the main container ports in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius and Madagascar will also be explored in terms of their respective shipping services, port calling patterns, market structure (in terms of the number of active carriers) and the up-scaling of vessel and port capacity. The overall result is a mapped port hierarchical structure with a clear indication of the shifted maritime centrality of Southern African ports from 1996 to the present decade.
Handbook of Cities and Networks, 2021
Maritime transport largely supports international trade and has long been seen as a vital element of economic and urban development. Since the 1950s, however, the emergence of containerization is generally believed to have transformed the spatial and functional organization of human settlements. Increasingly powerful global transport actors combined with the skyrocketing size of containerships led to unprecedented optimality, concentration, and selection among port cities. The latter are thus both constraints (land-use, congestion) and facilitators (production, consumption) of port and shipping activities nowadays. This chapter wishes to further understanding how have cities maintained their position in the global shipping network. It complements a wider reflection about places, scales, and networks by an empirical analysis of global shipping flows in relation to urban population, testing the hypothesis that cities and container shipping remain mutually essential nowadays.
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
This study applied graph theory to conduct an empirical analysis of the evolution of global maritime container shipping networks, mainly focusing on the 1970s. In addition to analyzing the change in overall structures of the networks over the long term (from the 1970s to the present) and midterm (in the 1970s), the authors examined the changes in the container shipping networks before and after the reopening of the Suez Canal in 1975. As a result, it was confirmed that the initial single polar network structure, in which New York and other North American ports were placed at the center, changed to a multipolar structure, finally forming a hub-and-spoke structure. Subsequently, the authors confirmed discontinuous changes in inter-regional density from 1975 to 1976 caused by an increase in the average number of ports of call in 1976, because the recession caused by the first oil crisis in 1973 decreased the maritime container shipping demand, and the reopening of the Suez Canal caused...