IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/retrec/v32y2011i1p54-63.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial pattern of the global shipping network and its hub-and-spoke system

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Chengjin
  • Wang, Jiaoe

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Chengjin & Wang, Jiaoe, 2011. "Spatial pattern of the global shipping network and its hub-and-spoke system," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 54-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:32:y:2011:i:1:p:54-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2011.06.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885911000205
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.retrec.2011.06.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gordon Wilmsmeier & Jan Hoffmann, 2008. "Liner Shipping Connectivity and Port Infrastructure as Determinants of Freight Rates in the Caribbean," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 10(1-2), pages 130-151, March.
    2. Theo E. Notteboom * & Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2005. "Port regionalization: towards a new phase in port development," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 297-313, July.
    3. Malchow, Matthew Brian, 2001. "An Analysis of Port Selection," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt4911j5zt, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    4. Robert McCalla * & Brian Slack & Claude Comtois, 2005. "The Caribbean basin: adjusting to global trends in containerization," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 245-261, July.
    5. Angela S Bergantino & Albert W Veenstra, 2002. "Interconnection and Co-ordination: An Application of Network Theory to Liner Shipping," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 4(3), pages 231-248, September.
    6. Notteboom Theo E., 2004. "Container Shipping And Ports: An Overview," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 1-21, June.
    7. Ducruet, César & Rozenblat, Céline & Zaidi, Faraz, 2010. "Ports in multi-level maritime networks: evidence from the Atlantic (1996–2006)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 508-518.
    8. Hoffmann, Jan, 1998. "Concentration in liner shipping: its causes and impacts for ports and shipping services in developing regions," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 31094, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    9. Low, Joyce M.W. & Lam, Shao Wei & Tang, Loon Ching, 2009. "Assessment of hub status among Asian ports from a network perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 43(6), pages 593-606, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zuzanna Kosowska-Stamirowska & César Ducruet & Nishant Rai, 2016. "Evolving structure of the maritime trade network: evidence from the Lloyd’s Shipping Index (1890–2000)," Journal of Shipping and Trade, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Hongchu Yu & Zhixiang Fang & Guojun Peng & Mingxiang Feng, 2017. "Revealing the Linkage Network Dynamic Structures of Chinese Maritime Ports through Automatic Information System Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Nguyen Tran & Hans-Dietrich Haasis, 2014. "Empirical analysis of the container liner shipping network on the East-West corridor (1995–2011)," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 121-153, November.
    4. Naixia Mou & Caixia Liu & Lingxian Zhang & Xin Fu & Yichun Xie & Yong Li & Peng Peng, 2018. "Spatial Pattern and Regional Relevance Analysis of the Maritime Silk Road Shipping Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Achilleas Tsantis & John Mangan & Agustina Calatayud & Roberto Palacin, 2023. "Container shipping: a systematic literature review of themes and factors that influence the establishment of direct connections between countries," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 25(4), pages 667-697, December.
    6. César Ducruet, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Post-Print halshs-02922543, HAL.
    7. Ge, Jiawei & fu, Qiang & Zhang, Qiang & Wan, Zheng, 2022. "Regional operating patterns of world container shipping network: A perspective from motif identification," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 607(C).
    8. César Ducruet, 2013. "Network diversity and maritime flows," Post-Print halshs-00815731, HAL.
    9. Xumao Li & Chengjin Wang & César Ducruet, 2020. "Globalization and Regionalization: Empirical Evidence from Itinerary Structure and Port Organization of World Cruise of Cunard," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    10. David L. Alderson & Daniel Funk & Ralucca Gera, 2020. "Analysis of the global maritime transportation system as a layered network," Journal of Transportation Security, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 291-325, December.
    11. Ducruet, César, 2013. "Network diversity and maritime flows," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 77-88.
    12. Hege Medin, 2022. "Why do firms import via merchants in entrepôt countries rather than directly from the source?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 854-884, August.
    13. Ducruet, César, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    14. Bingfeng Bai & Wei Fan, 2023. "Research on strategic liner ship fleet planning with regard to hub-and-spoke network," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 363-376, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ducruet, César & Rozenblat, Céline & Zaidi, Faraz, 2010. "Ports in multi-level maritime networks: evidence from the Atlantic (1996–2006)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 508-518.
    2. César Ducruet, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Post-Print halshs-02922543, HAL.
    3. Ducruet, César, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. César Ducruet & Theo E. Notteboom, 2012. "The worldwide maritime network of container shipping: Spatial structure and regional dynamics," Post-Print halshs-00538051, HAL.
    5. Xu, Mengqiao & Li, Zhenfu & Shi, Yanlei & Zhang, Xiaoling & Jiang, Shufei, 2015. "Evolution of regional inequality in the global shipping network," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-12.
    6. Vikas Kumar Mishra & Bapi Dutta & Mark Goh & José Rui Figueira & Salvatore Greco, 2021. "A robust ranking of maritime connectivity: revisiting UNCTAD’s liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI)," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 23(3), pages 424-443, September.
    7. González Laxe, Fernando & Jesus Freire Seoane, Maria & Pais Montes, Carlos, 2012. "Maritime degree, centrality and vulnerability: port hierarchies and emerging areas in containerized transport (2008–2010)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 33-44.
    8. Woo, Su-Han & Pettit, Stephen J. & Kwak, Dong-Wook & Beresford, Anthony K.C., 2011. "Seaport research: A structured literature review on methodological issues since the 1980s," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(7), pages 667-685, August.
    9. Tovar, Beatriz & Hernández, Rubén & Rodríguez-Déniz, Héctor, 2015. "Container port competitiveness and connectivity: The Canary Islands main ports case," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 40-51.
    10. Pais Montes, Carlos & Freire Seoane, Maria Jesus & González Laxe, Fernando, 2012. "General cargo and containership emergent routes: A complex networks description," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 126-140.
    11. Bai, Xiwen & Cheng, Liangqi & Yang, Dong & Cai, Ouchen, 2022. "Does the traffic volume of a port determine connectivity? Revisiting port connectivity measures with high-frequency satellite data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    12. Tocchi, Daniela & Sys, Christa & Papola, Andrea & Tinessa, Fiore & Simonelli, Fulvio & Marzano, Vittorio, 2022. "Hypergraph-based centrality metrics for maritime container service networks: A worldwide application," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    13. Rodrigue, Jean-Paul & Ashar, Asaf, 2016. "Transshipment hubs in the New Panamax Era: The role of the Caribbean," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 270-279.
    14. Liquan Guo & Zhongzhen Yang, 2018. "Evaluation of foreign trade transport accessibility for Mainland China," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 34-52, January.
    15. Jan Hoffmann & Naima Saeed & Sigbjørn Sødal, 2020. "Liner shipping bilateral connectivity and its impact on South Africa’s bilateral trade flows," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 22(3), pages 473-499, September.
    16. Zhao, Qianyu & Xu, Hang & Wall, Ronald S & Stavropoulos, Spyridon, 2017. "Building a bridge between port and city: Improving the urban competitiveness of port cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 120-133.
    17. van Asperen, E. & Dekker, R., 2010. "Flexibility in Port Selection: A Quantitative Approach Using Floating Stocks," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI 2009-44, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    18. Adolf K.Y. Ng & Zaili Yang & Stephen Cahoon & Paul T.W. Lee & Brian Slack & Elisabeth Gouvernal, 2016. "Container Transshipment and Logistics in the Context of Urban Economic Development," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 406-415, September.
    19. Martínez-Moya, Julián & Feo-Valero, María, 2020. "Measuring foreland container port connectivity disaggregated by destination markets: An index for Short Sea Shipping services in Spanish ports," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    20. David Jaffee, 2015. "‘A Deeper Channel Floats all Boats’: The Port Economy as Urban Growth Engine," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(4), pages 783-800, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:32:y:2011:i:1:p:54-63. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620614/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.