Spatial heterogeneity among different-sized port communities in directed-weighted global liner shipping network

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Global liner shipping network (GLSN) serves as the backbone of international commerce. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and regional integration, regionalization has become one of the dominant trends of the GLSN's structure. This study detected 27 practical relevant port communities within the directed-weighted GLSN using the Infomap algorithm. Based on the community structure of the GLSN, we identified the provincial, gateway, and connector hubs, considering the balance and intensity of the inbound and outbound shipping routes. To highlight the smaller communities obtained in this study, those practical relevant port communities are further differentiated into 7 large and 20 small port communities. The spatial heterogeneity among different-sized port communities is investigated regarding geographical distribution, topological properties, functional characteristics, etc. The large port community is typically formed in major trading regions with well-developed hub-and-spoke networks. They are the principal market in which most liner operators participate in it. Some small port communities lying along the main lane of seaborne container trades also play pivotal roles in the GLSN with many liner companies involved. While other small port communities located peripherally only connect to a few surrounding port communities. The spatial heterogeneity among different-sized port communities is mainly caused by the unbalanced distribution of seaborne container trades. These findings offer new insights into the community structure and its spatial heterogeneity within the GLSN, which can provide stakeholders with practical implications.