• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.105-122
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• 2016

Numerous studies have evaluated the status of seaports. However, the majority of the research has approached this topic from the view-point of port capabilities, including locational advantage, infrastructure, productivity, and competitiveness. The position and/or role of a port can be understood more precisely and comprehensively by considering the interconnectivity among ports making up enormous global transportation networks. The main objective of this study is to compare the status of 82 container ports on the trunk shipping routes between Asia and Europe by applying the concepts of structural equivalence and role equivalence proposed by the social network analysis method. Network similarities and differences among competing ports in the regions are assessed by analysing their structural equivalence. Furthermore, the hierarchical structures of the ports located on the trunks between Asia and Northwest Europe and between Asia and the Mediterranean are constructed by evaluating their role equivalence. The results of this empirical research shows that Singapore and Rotterdam possess the most significant positions on the ocean corridors between Asia and Northwest Europe. Singapore also holds a leading position on the Asia-Mediterranean shipping route. Lastly, no ports located in the Middle East or Mediterranean regions have an equivalent weight to those of Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp on the Asia-Northwest Europe route.