Data-driven research on the impact of COVID-19 on the global container shipping network

Abstract

As the most dominant maritime transport mode, container transport is deeply embedded in the global supply chain. Therefore, whilst the world economy was hit by COVID-19, container transport was also inevitably affected. To comprehensively assess the impact of COVID-19 on container transport, this research constructed a global container shipping network and applied complex network theory to compare and analyse the changes in shipping network flows, vulnerability and the status of major hub ports before and after COVID-19. Results showed that the impact of COVID-19 on ports and links in the container shipping network was related to its hub-and-spoke structure and regionalisation. Hub ports on the main shipping lanes and long-distance routes across regions were highly vulnerable to pandemic shocks. Nevertheless, the global container shipping network structure was minimally affected by COVID-19, with increased network size and overall accessibility and a more robust network compared with that in the preoutbreak period. The COVID-19 outbreak also led to a significant change in the status of major global hub ports. This research proposes an evaluation framework that considers network flows and topology. The results could support industry management and shipping companies to improve their contingency plans and port strategies.