Maritime constellations: A complex network approach to shipping and ports

César Ducruet () and Faraz Zaidi ()
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César Ducruet: GC (UMR_8504) - Géographie-cités - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - UPD7 - Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Faraz Zaidi: LaBRI - Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique - UB - Université de Bordeaux - École Nationale Supérieure d'Électronique, Informatique et Radiocommunications de Bordeaux (ENSEIRB) - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, GRAVITE - Graph Visualization and Interactive Exploration - UB - Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 - Centre Inria de l'Université de Bordeaux - Inria - Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique - École Nationale Supérieure d'Électronique, Informatique et Radiocommunications de Bordeaux (ENSEIRB) - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: The analysis of community structures is one major research field in the science of networks. This exercise is often biased by strong hierarchical configurations as it is the case in container shipping. After reviewing the multiple definitions of port systems, this paper applies a topological decomposition method to worldwide inter-port maritime links. Isolating ports of comparable size reveals hidden substructures with the help of graph visualization. While geographic proximity is one main explanatory factor in the emergence of port systems, other logics also appear, such as specialized and long-distance trading links. This research provides interesting evidence about the role of geography, technology, and trade in the architecture of maritime networks.

Keywords: container shipping; port systems; scale-free networks; topological decomposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00551207v3
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (34)

Published in Maritime Policy and Management, 2012, 39 (2), pp.151-168

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00551207

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