Ports in a World Maritime System: A Multilevel Analysis - Methods for Multilevel Analysis and Visualisation of Geographical Networks - page 117

others have used manually encoded and computed paper-based sources to capture
the sequences of port calls by vessel and by company ( Joly , 1999 ). Recent research
has used more easily accessible data derived from the annually published Container-
isation International Yearbooks . These data sources provide information about the
regular services of the world's main shipping lines, which permits the mapping
of their geographical coverage by port or by region, as measured by the Weekly
Containerized Transport Capacity ( Frémont & Soppé , 2005 ). However, the lack of
available software other than classic Geographical Information Systems (GIS) pre-
vented any innovations in the visualization and analysis of large maritime networks.
In the context of continuous growth, increased spatial complexity, and the
widening power of global alliances and shipping lines around the world, the
utilization of new visualization and analytical tools becomes necessary. However,
such an effort cannot ignore the specific issues in maritime transport with regard to
the other transportation networks.

8.2.2 The Specificities of Maritime Transport

Despite the rapid success of air transport for commercial use, maritime transport
has retained a very important role supporting, and even enhancing, globalization
( Frémont , 2005 ). From the 1960s onward, containerization has facilitated the
regional and global integration of transport and value chains ( Robinson , 2002 ). Of
course, this integration has been made possible in a context of lowering trade bar-
riers and geopolitical stabilization after the decolonization of the then-Third World
and the collapse of the socialist block, resulting in higher freedom of circulation,
lower transport costs, and continuous growth. Even the Soviet Union increased
its domestic share of maritime transport from 2 to 9 %, not only for geopolitical
purposes (e.g., supporting distant brother countries such as Cuba) but also to enlarge
its commercial power in response to Western imperialism ( Vigarié , 1995 ).
These evolutions have provided shipping lines the liberty to invest heavily in
new technologies, and the regular and dramatic increase in vessel sizes is proof of
their success, as reflected in the enormous amount of literature on this subject in
maritime and port studies. One key aspect of global transportation by sea is the
evolution from trade support (demand-driven) to trade stimulation (offer-driven).
This means that shipping lines have become proactive by providing efficient door-
to-door services across oceans over ever-longer distances and also across continents
through the integration of terminal and logistics operations, notwithstanding the
role of shippers, forwarders, and intermodal operators in ensuring the space-time
continuum of freight flows ( Ducruet & Van Der Horst , 2009 ).
The implications for ports are enormous and varied. Ports are bound to wa-
terside locations where physical conditions are increasingly important due to
growing vessel sizes (e.g., 14-15 m of maximal quay depth are required for large
containerships). In addition, the technological revolution in sea transport (i.e.,
containerization) has provoked a drastic selection of ports capable of planning new