Container freight rates and economic distance: a new perspective on the world map

Elisabeth Gouvernal and Brian Slack

Maritime Policy & Management, 2012, vol. 39, issue 2, 133-149

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to explore how container freight rates vary globally and regionally and over time. This is achieved in part by considering freight rates as a measure of economic distance. Unlike absolute distance, which is invariant between locations, economic distance is a relative measure, but like absolute distance it can be mapped. In this paper, the geographical distribution for a set of rates from markets around the world to the ports of the Northern Range of Europe is mapped. This cartographic representation provides a unique opportunity to explore the spatial arrangement of markets while providing a number of insights into the spatial structure of rates during a period of considerable change. The paper goes on to discuss this spatial structure in the context of three issues that have been raised in the literature: the relationships between rates and physical distance; the role of market conditions and rates; and, the relationships between rates and economic development. From this examination, questions are raised involving long held assumptions about distance and rates, competition and pricing, and rates and economic development.

Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/03088839.2011.650723 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:marpmg:v:39:y:2012:i:2:p:133-149

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/TMPM20

DOI: 10.1080/03088839.2011.650723

Access Statistics for this article

Maritime Policy & Management is currently edited by Dr Kevin Li and Heather Leggate McLaughlin

More articles in Maritime Policy & Management from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().