Title: Bilateral connectivity in the liner shipping network: an overview

Authors: Iñigo L. Ansorena

Addresses: Polytechnic University of Madrid, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, C/Profesor Aranguren s/n, Madrid 28040, Spain

Abstract: A general picture of the global shipping network is presented. The maritime network connects countries (nodes) with regular liner services (edges) all around the world. The weight factor of connections is the liner shipping bilateral connectivity index (LSBCI). The LSBCI is a composite index developed by UNCTAD which reflects maritime connectivity between pairs of nations all around the globe. The first goal of the study is to determine the community structure of the network by means of modularity optimisation. The structure clearly shows the main sea routes within the global network. The second goal is to extract more information from the strongest community by means of centrality metrics. The countries which achieved the best performance in the past decade are revealed.

Keywords: liner shipping; centrality metrics; modularity optimisation; connectivity; communities; complex network.

DOI: 10.1504/WRITR.2018.095255

World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 2018 Vol.7 No.4, pp.295 - 309

Received: 27 Oct 2017
Accepted: 31 Jan 2018

Published online: 02 Oct 2018 *

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