Empirical analysis of the container liner shipping network on the East-West corridor (1995–2011)

Abstract

The shipping network plays an important role in the operation of container liner shipping. It provides a system on which transportation activities take place. This article aims to study the topological structure of the shipping network on the East-West corridor from 1995 to 2011. The theoretical background is based on graph theory, statistical techniques, social network analysis, and transportation network structure. Data is deployed from the service information published in Containerisation International Yearbooks and processed by designated computer programs. The expansion of the shipping network to adapt to the growth of global trade is displayed by the increase of deployed fleet, the number of served ports and weekly calls. Major features of arcs on the network are identified in respect of nautical distance, travelling time and assortativity. Port strength on the network is evaluated on the basis of degree centrality with the majority of the largest degree ports located in East Asia. The power law distribution of port degree indicates the existence of many small degree ports and only a few high degree ones. Highly positive correlation coefficients between port degree and throughput express the causal link between them. The dynamics of regional networks is observed through network indicators. A salient trend is the de-concentration process happening in many regions during which secondary ports grown strongly and have lowered the centrality of bigger ones.