IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/drm/wpaper/2025-27.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Shipping Network Research: A Systematic and Quantitative Review

Author

Listed:
  • Marc-Antoine Faure
  • César Ducruet

Abstract

Once developed by geographers, shipping network research has long remained a peripheral subfield of academia. Increased shipping data availability and computational power, combined with renewed graph-theoretical methods, caused an unprecedented growth of shipping network studies since the late 2000s. This article provides an in-depth bibliometric analysis of no less than 329 peer-reviewed papers published between 2007 and 2025. First, it describes the gathered corpus from diverse angles, such as the growth of papers, the main journals, its disciplinary background, and the pattern of co-authorships. Second, we use a natural language processing (NLP) approach, namely the structural topic model, to undertake an in-depth analysis based on the contents of abstracts. We identify four main topics, of which trade and connectivity; hubs and centrality; vulnerability and robustness; and communities and spatial structure, which are discussed according to their innovative character compared with wider research on ports, maritime transport, and network science. Three additional subgroups received peripheral attention despite their core importance: environmental issues (of which, marine bioinvasions), socio-economic development, and the role of shipping alliances. We conclude that network science methods still have important potential in shipping network port and maritime studies, and propose several pathways for further research.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc-Antoine Faure & César Ducruet, 2025. "Shipping Network Research: A Systematic and Quantitative Review," EconomiX Working Papers 2025-27, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    • Handle: RePEc:drm:wpaper:2025-27
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://economix.fr/pdf/dt/2025/WP_EcoX_2025-27.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grimmer, Justin & Stewart, Brandon M., 2013. "Text as Data: The Promise and Pitfalls of Automatic Content Analysis Methods for Political Texts," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 267-297, July.
    2. Su-Han Woo & Hee-Seok Bang & Sally Martin & Kevin X. Li, 2013. "Evolution of research themes in Maritime Policy & Management—1973--2012," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 200-225, May.
    3. 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).
    4. Ducruet, César & Juhász, Réka & Nagy, Dávid Krisztián & Steinwender, Claudia, 2024. "All aboard: The effects of port development," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Guerrero, David & Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, 2014. "The waves of containerization: shifts in global maritime transportation," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 151-164.
    6. 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.
    7. Y.Y. Lau & César Ducruet & Adolf Ng & X. Fu, 2017. "Across the waves : A bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s," Post-Print hal-03246929, HAL.
    8. César Ducruet, 2015. "Maritime Networks. Spatial Structures and Time Dynamics," Post-Print hal-03246485, HAL.
    9. Laure Rousset & César Ducruet, 2020. "Disruptions in Spatial Networks: a Comparative Study of Major Shocks Affecting Ports and Shipping Patterns," Post-Print halshs-02588551, HAL.
    10. Ziaul Haque Munim & Mariia Dushenko & Veronica Jaramillo Jimenez & Mohammad Hassan Shakil & Marius Imset, 2020. "Big data and artificial intelligence in the maritime industry: a bibliometric review and future research directions," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(5), pages 577-597, July.
    11. de Oliveira, Renan Peres & Lohmann, Gui & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2022. "A systematic review of the literature on air transport networks (1973-2021)," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. John J Bartholdi & Pisit Jarumaneeroj & Amar Ramudhin, 2016. "A new connectivity index for container ports," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 18(3), pages 231-249, September.
    13. Yui-Yip Lau & César Ducruet & Adolf K. Y. Ng & Xiaowen Fu, 2017. "Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s," Post-Print halshs-01619362, HAL.
    14. Yui-yip Lau & César Ducruet & Adolf K. Y. Ng & Xiaowen Fu, 2017. "Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 667-684, August.
    15. Zhongyun Yue & John Mangan, 2024. "A framework for understanding reliability in container shipping networks," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 26(3), pages 523-544, September.
    16. Laure Rousset & César Ducruet, 2020. "Disruptions in spatial networks : a comparative study of major shocks affecting ports and shipping patterns," Post-Print hal-03246904, HAL.
    17. Laure Rousset & César Ducruet, 2020. "Disruptions in Spatial Networks: a Comparative Study of Major Shocks Affecting Ports and Shipping Patterns," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 423-447, June.
    18. Raimbault, Nicolas, 2019. "From regional planning to port regionalization and urban logistics. The inland port and the governance of logistics development in the Paris region," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 205-213.
    19. Bai, Xiwen & Zhang, Xiunian & Li, Kevin X. & Zhou, Yaoming & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2021. "Research topics and trends in the maritime transport: A structural topic model," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 11-24.
    20. Athanasios Pallis & Thomas Vitsounis & Peter De Langen & Theo Notteboom, 2011. "Port Economics, Policy and Management: Content Classification and Survey," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(4), pages 445-471.
    21. Xiaoqian Sun & Sebastian Wandelt, 2021. "Robustness of Air Transportation as Complex Networks:Systematic Review of 15 Years of Research and Outlook into the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, June.
    22. Shao-Bu Wang & Xian-Hong Peng, 2023. "Knowledge mapping of port logistics in the recent 20 Years: a bibliometric analysis via CiteSpace," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 335-350, April.
    23. Ng, Adolf K.Y. & Ducruet, César & Jacobs, Wouter & Monios, Jason & Notteboom, Theo & Rodrigue, Jean-Paul & Slack, Brian & Tam, Ka-chai & Wilmsmeier, Gordon, 2014. "Port geography at the crossroads with human geography: between flows and spaces," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 84-96.
    24. Bai, Xiwen & Ma, Zhongjun & Zhou, Yaoming, 2023. "Data-driven static and dynamic resilience assessment of the global liner shipping network," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    25. Catherine Matias & Vincent Miele, 2017. "Statistical clustering of temporal networks through a dynamic stochastic block model," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 79(4), pages 1119-1141, September.
    26. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. César Ducruet, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Post-Print halshs-02922543, HAL.
    2. César Ducruet, 2023. "Shipping network analysis: state-of-the-art and application to the global financial crisis," Post-Print halshs-04588340, HAL.
    3. Ducruet, César, 2020. "The geography of maritime networks: A critical review," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Nicanor García Álvarez & Belarmino Adenso-Díaz & Laura Calzada-Infante, 2021. "Maritime Traffic as a Complex Network: a Systematic Review," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 387-417, June.
    5. Marc-Antoine Faure & Bárbara Polo Martin & Fabio Cremaschini & César Ducruet, 2024. "Shipping Trade and Geopolitical Turmoils: The Case of the Ukrainian Maritime Network," EconomiX Working Papers 2024-24, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    6. Liehui Wang & Yuanbo Zheng & César Ducruet & Fan Zhang, 2019. "Investment Strategy of Chinese Terminal Operators along the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”," Post-Print halshs-02092097, HAL.
    7. Liehui Wang & Yuanbo Zheng & Cesar Ducruet & Fan Zhang, 2019. "Investment Strategy of Chinese Terminal Operators along the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, April.
    8. Yui-yip Lau & César Ducruet & Adolf K. Y. Ng & Xiaowen Fu, 2017. "Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 667-684, August.
    9. Yao He & Yongchun Yang & Meimei Wang & Xudong Zhang, 2022. "Resilience Analysis of Container Port Shipping Network Structure: The Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, August.
    10. Haiying Jia & Ove Daae Lampe & Veronika Solteszova & Siri P. Strandenes, 2017. "Norwegian port connectivity and its policy implications," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(8), pages 956-966, November.
    11. Guerrero, David & Letrouit, Lucie & Pais-Montes, Carlos, 2022. "The container transport system during Covid-19: An analysis through the prism of complex networks," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 113-125.
    12. Zhu, Shengda & Fu, Xiaowen & Bell, Michael G.H., 2021. "Container shipping line port choice patterns in East Asia the effects of port affiliation and spatial dependence," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    13. Ferrari, Claudio & Persico, Luca & Tei, Alessio, 2022. "Covid-19 and seaborne trade: The Italian perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    14. Zhou, Yusheng & Li, Xue & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2022. "Holistic risk assessment of container shipping service based on Bayesian Network Modelling," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    15. J. Verschuur & E. E. Koks & J. W. Hall, 2022. "Ports’ criticality in international trade and global supply-chains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    16. Olabisi Michael Olapoju, 2023. "Appraising the impact of COVID-19 on trading volume of selected vessel types in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Shipping and Trade, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, December.
    17. Xu, Mengqiao & Deng, Wenhui & Zhu, Yifan & LÜ, Linyuan, 2023. "Assessing and improving the structural robustness of global liner shipping system: A motif-based network science approach," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    18. Nadia M. Trent & Johan W. Joubert & Minh Kieu, 2025. "The Policy Potential of Monitoring Market Proximal Maritime Connectivity Over Time: The Case of Aotearoa New Zealand," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 67-94, March.
    19. Dirzka, Christopher & Acciaro, Michele, 2022. "Global shipping network dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic's initial phases," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    20. Yap, Wei Yim & Yang, Dong, 2024. "Geopolitical tension and shipping network disruption: Analysis of the Red Sea crisis on container port calls," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    bibliometric analysis; complex networks; graph theory; maritime transport; scientometrics; shipping network; social network analysis; structural topic modeling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:drm:wpaper:2025-27. 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: Valerie Mignon The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask Valerie Mignon to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/modemfr.html .

    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.